ReVamp
by Yygriega
Summary: What if Harry was born a vampire but everything else in his life was the same? i tried not to plagiarize but the point is that nothing major has actually been changed in his life. sorry if you feel cheated somehow but i wanted to only tweak one aspect of his life and try to keep everything the same.
1. Chapter 1

REVAMP

Chapter One

My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, conjure by it at your own risk. My mother died when I was born, the man I thought was my father died when I was 6. With no other family, I went into the system, but was adopted at age 12 by Justin DuMorne. Justin had adopted a girl my age, by the name Elaine Malory. We both had abilities most children hadn't. By 14 I, like most boys, become interested in girls and began a relationship with her. We tried a few things, then one day, she agreed to have sex with me… something changed in me, I could feel her life pouring into me.

And I liked it.

Chapter Two: Blood Rites

A lot happens in 17 years. I met two women: well I met lots of people but these two are important. See, a bunch of stuff I don't want to discuss happened pretty quickly once Elaine died, basically resulting in me homeless at 14, being pursued by a council of wizards, and a demon from the bad part of the demons' neighborhood. After living on the streets for 2 years, the council caught up to me and were more than ready to cut my head off but an old man stopped them, and took me in. he taught me magic from his point of view; a more constructive and safe method. I learned respect, and appreciation from him, then decided to move to Chicago, where I was allegedly born, and become a private investigator. Before I got my start, I apprenticed a different investigator, Nick Christian. We saved a little runaway from a troll and a cute little cop saved _me_ from the troll, not to mention jail time. Karen Murphy later became a detective and started hiring me for the weird cases. That's when I met the second woman; Susan Rodriguez. The three of us solved the highest profile double Homicide in Chicago since the Great Depression, also linking it to the fastest major drug bust since Depression era too.

I teamed up with some teenage werewolf vigilantes to fight FBI Hexenwolves, and a biker gang of Lycanthropes, to save a loup-garou from himself, Susan got turned into a red court Vampire and moved to Peru to keep from eating me, my fairy godmother, yep fairy godmother gave my obligation to her over to Mab, Queen of the winter Sidhe, a war erupted between Vampires and Wizards, that I remain precariously on the fence from despite kind of being the dumb ass that started it, and a party of fallen angels and their sociopathic hosts tried to snag the shroud of Turin. Just this week I was attacked by mold demons and braved flaming purple monkey poop, thrown by flying god damned monkeys, while my new white court vampire friend Thomas and I tried to return a litter of Tibetan temple dogs from being sold on the Black Magic Market. The stress must have gotten to me because I accidentally kept one of the pooches. He was small and grey like a mouse, and squeaked like one too, so that's what Thomas and I took to calling him.

The little runt was pretty useful, I mean he warned me before I got attacked by a black court Vampire, one I recognized from Mavra's scourge, and tried to help which was cute, but counter productive, and now he was scoring me cute points at a party Thomas took me to. I was Supernaturally sexy and all that sure, but so was Thomas, and the party attendees were mostly adult film stars. Thomas and I looked like brothers. He and I shared the lazy curl of our hair, the shape of our storm cloud grey eyes, and the strong chin, but his face was more boyishly charming, and mine was a manly handsome. One would hardly think, looking at us, that he was 5 years older than me. I hated that about him. He also exuded a lazy confidence, which I could only feign for a little while before growing tired. He was also pretty well fed, while I was not in either sense.

Susan was the one I always drank the deepest from, she enjoyed the sex, and our dates, and didn't think about it as a feeding me. Lieutenant Murphy was my source of income, she had me consult her on the supernatural, and knowing I was a vampire that fed off life force she preferred I fed on her than an innocent bystander. Murphy didn't have sex with me to feed me, she knew I only needed a touch so sometimes she would just touch my face, or rub my back, or let me hold her hand in the car. It was like a torturous diet. Added to that, business was slow, so I wasn't eating healthy. I went on dates with random women and had small bites from them, the rare occasion I had money to go out, but even that was like craving a lobster dinner and eating half a tuna sandwich. Thomas had a girlfriend no less; a steady source of energy, who was brimming with it, and wanted him to take it. Some guys had all the luck.

Oh, I guess I should elaborate. I was raised by a man named Malcolm Dresden; a stage magician who named me after his faves, but obviously he wasn't my real father or I wouldn't be a white court Vampire.

A pretty woman invited us into her home for the party and led us to a quiet room to meet with Arturo Genosa. The man was a big time adult film producer; the pretty lady throwing the party was his first ex wife. We spoke about a job. The women who worked close to him were dropping like flies and the job was to confirm it was a curse and stop it. I may have upped my rates, charging him 75 an hour and 1000 up front. He took the deal. As part of my gig I had to be on set with Genosa. He tried to talk me and Thomas into being actors but we both declined vehemently. I was made production assistant, a fancy word for gofer.

At the party I got to see Justine and Thomas together. Justine reacted to Thomas a lot like Karen to me. They had the CPL, as we called it; short for creepy psychic link. Oddly enough, I didn't form that link with Susan, or Kim, or Linda. The women I actually slept with and fed on for a long time and a lot deeper than Karen, but I spent all my time with Karen and took my little bites from her more often. I suppose that emotional intimacy that we had, the kind between friends, the profound trust of partners who deal with life threatening situations on a constant basis was far more bonding than just inserting rod P into slot V. Thomas and Justine had a similarly profound bond... I think about my food a lot.

I went home after the meeting and brought the puppy to my lab to keep him safe from Mister cat. When Bob woke up he reacted comically. "Holy cats, Harry, you stole one of the temple dogs?" we moved on to discussing White Vampires. Watching another vamp at work gave me all kinds of questions that Bob patiently answered, but when I asked him what happens to a girl who was fed on long term, he scared the crap out of me. "Eventually they kill them." That meant no matter how small my bites were, eventually I would kill Karen.

"How long do they last?" I didn't want to know but I had to. Bob understood the question and mulled over how to dumb down the answer to my level.

"Well let me put it this way… imagine Justine has a dozen cookies, and every time Thomas feeds, he is taking one cookie, and she makes another dozen each month. If he eats two dozen cookies in one month she is dead, but if he maybe only eats one dozen or 18 cookies a month, he can keep her alive until… well as Justine ages, she makes less cookies. She hits 40 and is only making half a dozen a month, but meanwhile Thomas is still eating 18. In a month or two, no more cookies."

I gulped. "How many of Karen's cookies have I been eating?"

"Judging from your pallid complexion, and stark cheekbones I'd say not enough. Its like you're taking a bite a week." I was still in a panic, but I had to rest up. "You have my permission to go out at sunrise for the purpose of finding Mavra's hiding place. In the meantime watch the mouse."

I went to bed, falling asleep the instant my head hit the silky cold plush pillow. My room had been upgraded in comfort courtesy of Linda Randall, a person I met on a case 4 years ago. She went into witness protection but with a new name and new job she still paid me a few visits, and insisted we get new sheets. Instead of my miss-matched but all cotton ensembles, she bought crème colored satin sheets and pillowcases, 4 decadently fluffy feather pillows and an overstuffed 5-foot long pillow. Eventually, my worn out comforter was thrown out for a feather pillow comforter that went under the satin sheets. I missed my comforter so I bought myself one that had a Moroccan print on it, which she approved of. She was mostly with me because her addiction to sex was sated by her occasional visits. Somehow emotional imbalances like that went away when a White Court Vamp fed on someone, just like Justine's whatever her problem was sated by Thomas. Linda was cured, and decided to get a real relationship, which I wasn't interested in, and she also found Karen's bag of things under my bed, which couldn't have tipped the scales in my favor. All the same, my bed was amazing.

I woke to my cat walking across my face at the crack of dawn, and begrudgingly I shambled to the door to let him out with Bob, his ride along. I showered, shaved, and cooked breakfast, then heard a scratching sound from my lab and opened the trap door to find the pup had escaped the box and learned to climb the stepladder. "Hells bells, dog, you're insane." I only had to reach my long arm in and grab him by the scruff of his neck. He stopped moving, and let me hoist him out the trap door, and sniffed at the lab from a cautious distance while I closed the hatch. I gave him some ham and eggs with a bowl of water while I ate too. I thought about how to go about the curse, yes my presence would help in that I could counter it, but that wasn't enough. I needed to stop whoever was casting it and push their face in a little. In order to do that I had to figure out who it was which I might not be able to do without some help. I made two phone calls and left two messages, then threw on my black leather duster over my sweats and tee that read, 'I've got a theory: It could be bunnies.' Over a photo of two detectives examining a dead body and pocketed the pooch.

I got to the gym in time to catch Murphy giving a demonstration. Two big guys, skilled at takedowns, working well together, went in for an attack, but got taken down by a tiny blond. Some guys in the group of students grumbled and paid others in the crowd. I noticed the ones paying up were younger. Kids these days. They must have thought two big guys stood a chance against Karen, but they had never seen her in real action. I had seen her take down a hexenwolf with one broken arm, a red court vampire, a ghoul, and a chlorofeind, and came out on top, and for the most part unscathed. These kids were out of her league. After kicking their asses, Murphy instructed them how to get her next time, then let the kids spar with each other.

If I were to describe Murphy in one word it would be a scream too high pitched for human ears and running in place while flapping my hands. She's too cute to process. If I could say so without being hit, I would blurt it out at inappropriate times without bothering to control the volume of my voice. She picked up a staff while I took off my duster and boots, and then swung at my back hard. I blocked by sweeping my staff one way, while rolling the other, placing me behind her. The guys stopped to watch the show; some got flipped because of it. I stood then had to duck her jab, and swung my staff at her knees, which she blocked by jamming her staff in the ground. There was a loud crack sound of impact, then she lifted her staff sliding mine over her head, shifted her weight into almost a shoveling motion, and extended the other end of the staff into my chest while I was still crouched, and off balance, pinning me backward.

"You let me win?" she accused me under the chorus of applause.

"No." I said. It wasn't exactly a lie. I pulled my strength and speed, but she still out skilled me. She shook her head, and then we began the exercises.

"What have you been up to? I haven't seen your face in weeks."

"Miss me?" I wiggled my eyebrows. She looked concerned. My bite a week look was still roguishly handsome but obviously I was sick. "Been on a case… got a couple now I could use some help with."

"Sure." She said as if she already said yes, but I was still asking. She slapped my knuckles with her staff.

"Hells bells, ow!"

"Pussy." She remarked, taking another shot, but I blocked this time.

"I got attacked by a black court last night." I began. Her look went from mild concern from a work associate to the deep maternal worry. "I got out okay, it was just one, but I know there's a nest in town somewhere, and black court aren't as harmless fun loving as the reds. When they feed, they don't leave much behind."

"Meaning?" Karen looked sick. I think she understood, but she doesn't like to leave things undefined.

"The longer we let them hang around the more innocent people will be killed or turned. Fledgling black courts have pretty healthy appetites." She shuddered, I took a swing, and she blocked it.

"What's the plan?"

"I got Bob looking for their nest, once he finds it, you, me and two others are going in and making John Carpenter proud." She got a fierce grin on her face.

"Any way we can arrange it for Saturday night?" I cocked my head to the side. "Clan Murphy Annual." She rolled her eyes. "Since my divorce from Richard it has been the most dreadful time of the year." Ah, the divorce, I remember it well. Karen was taken out bar hopping to get her mind off of it and they happened into Mac's Pub. She sat at the bar beside me, I bought her a drink, then finally she recognized me. We talked, gave her my number, she left, then called me to ask about a case two days later. Not the call I was hoping, needing to feed and all. I found the goblin killing folks by granting wishes and stopped her, then convinced Murph to take me home and banged her on the washer while it was running. Delicious energy but after that, she became extra guarded around me. Bummer. Fortunately I met Susan.

"Most people would rather go to a family picnic than a life or death, evil blood sucker raid, but I guess I could swing it."

"I don't expect-" she stopped the insensitive remark then looked up at my face. "Sorry, I-"

"It won't be a long job. We break in, free some hostages, pound some steaks into hearts, cut off some heads, sling some holy water,"

"Living the cliché? Garlic, and crosses?" she accepted the change of subject graciously. "We could use more bodies…"

I shook my head, denying her offer to throw SI guys my way. "I like yours." She rolled her eyes at my wording.

"What about that Knight of the Cross? Is he coming?" I shook my head.

"Well if these things are hurt by crosses he should come. Isn't he like a walking talking cross? He would make short work of these things."

"The almighty will send him if we need him." I shook my head. She nodded at the two guys she put a hurting on earlier, Stallings and O'Toole.

"O'Toole there is Malone's nephew. After what you did for his uncle, I started training him in the creepy stuff… he would come if you asked. And he would be just as good as me." I gave her a look that meant drop it. Murphy did but I knew it'd come up again. She's stubborn. Heh. But I'm more. "What about the White council? Isn't this kind of their job? Especially since the war is wizards versus vampires."

"By and large they don't like me. As basic principal of magic, monsters don't tend to have power like I do, and if they do its all focused on one survival tactic like grounding out magic thrown at them… I'm a vampire and a wizard level practitioner… that's like a third world country with a dozen nukes to the White council. Yeah, I need their help like I need a sword in my neck."

"Someone resisted the Dresden charm?"

"What can I say, they got no taste."

"How many laws you planning to break?" she eyed me. She doesn't like me breaking laws, so when she's around I've managed to limit it to breaking and entering… when she's around.

"None." She eyed me. "If I can help it." I shrugged. We completed the sequence in silence. I knew she was working out what she had to say, and I knew to wait till she came out with it, so after we finished, and bowed, I waited for her to say it.

"I really don't want to sidestep any laws. Vampires are one thing but going vigilante is another." She was thinking of how far gone agent Denton was. He became a hexenwolf to stop murderers, and rapists, and other scum that got off scot-free by playing the system. But he changed. The power, the blatant indifference for his strict guidelines, and the paltriness of the system, was like a drug, and soon he was killing because it was fun. It was because he lost control that her partner Carmichael died, sacrificing himself gallantly for her. Karen was afraid it would be her to become a monster next.

"Done." We moved to the edge of the mat, where I passed Karen my staff so I could throw on my coat and boots.

"And if we can do it Saturday…"

"Hey if we end up doing it early, maybe you can get laid up in the hospital or something." I took back my staff.

"I'd like that, yeah." She said sarcastically.

"Do me a favor, and keep an eye on missing persons. Maybe it'll clue us in on where the nest is."

"Gotcha… Harry?" she bit back laughter as she eyed my coat. "That a puppy in your pocket or you just happy to see me?" She asked as she plucked the puppy out my pocket and let him lick her nose. I fished out my phone and took a picture of the cute moment to set as my background, and Karen's caller ID picture, and the lock screen. It was so precious; if I had a face space page I would post it and like the shit out of it.

"Yeah, I got a new fur ball."

"What's his name?"

"I don't intend on keeping him, but it looks like I'll have to. Thomas calls him The Mouse, I guess that's as good a name as any."

"Thomas, the other lust sucker?"

"Ew, but yeah." Karen didn't like being in both our presence at the same time for obvious reasons, and we were hanging out a lot, so Karen and I hung out less. "Hey, you want a dog?" she gave me a look. Karen is afraid of animals. Not deathly, obviously, she just feels that dogs would erect cities if they belonged in them. She stuffed the lucky little fur ball into her aikido pajamas top where he curled up and kicked one of her boobs trying to figure the new place out.

"Today is paperwork day, I could use something cute to distract me."

"Darn, I have someplace to be today, sorry." I replied. She snorted. The puppy looked as confused as I had the first time I heard her snort too. How could that adorable little turned up nose make that sound?

"So what's the other job?"

"Porno set is cursed. I have to break it." I shrugged, trying to seem board by the notion of being in a studio full of naked sexy women. She slowly shook her head at me. Our cpl probably bypassed any way I tried to spin it, the fact of the matter was that I was nervous that I might lose control or worse, the women would. And I was also excited, because duh, a studio full of naked sexy women that might lose control.

"You… pig." She said in her disgusted tone. She backed away shaking her head disapprovingly and called out, "be back at 5 pig!"

"Come on, Murph!" I begged. The guys all made assorted pig noises at her behest. I shook my head and escaped with her repeating "5, Dresden!" among the racket of the guys oinking.

Chapter Three

I had a tackle box full of essential items in the trunk of my trusty Blue Beetle that I pre stocked with some warding items. I took it out and set it on the hood then smoothed a wrinkle I missed out of my black slacks, looked over my work boots, for any scuffs or stains, then absentmindedly checked my black polo shirt for scuffs stains or wrinkles. I smoothed down my hair and sighed. I was nervous. A car pulled up and two men got out. The driver seemed cool, and greeted me. "Morning."

"Morning." I replied. "New guy?" he asked. "Is it obvious?" I asked. "Cameraman?" he asked nervously. "Stunt double" I joked. He laughed and replied, "cool." We both got our things together and headed for the warehouse made studio, and shook hands when our paths met. "Jake." He said over his firm, but not threatening, handshake. "Harry." I answered.

The other guy looked like a douche. He scowled and asked, "Who the hell are you?" "I the hell am Harry." I answered. "You always gotta be a wiseass?" he snapped. "Sometimes I gotta sleep." He shoved the heel of his hand into my shoulder and tried to pass, but I didn't budge at all. I stood inhumanly still for a little creep factor sake. When we were all silent for a dramatic second I dropped my eyes to where he touched me, and smirked. "Wrist is a little limp there, guy." He balled a fist and took a swing but I ducked it and he went past me fast. Jake got between us and put his hand up.

"Whoa, Bobby! Take it easy!" Bobby picked up his bag and eyed me on his way to the door.

"You can just forget about it, creep" he called at me. "Forget about what?" I asked in an amused tone. "I know what you're thinking, It ain't happening!" he spat. "You're psychic now too?" I drawled. "Wiseass stunt double." He muttered, "It happened once! You ain't gonna make a name for yourself, so just go home!"

"He isn't a stunt double, Bobby." Jake explained. "He said-" Bobby countered. "It was a joke." Jake replied.

"I'm warning you asshole!" he went with a final word to mask his confusion, and walked inside. I pretended to quake with fear, dramatically chewing the nails of both hands. Jake sighed.

"Someone woke up with his testosterone in a knot." I muttered.

"Try not to take it personal."

"Whys he so worried about being replaced by a stunt double? What happened once? Are there really stunts in erotica?" my eyes went wide "what kind of stunts you do in these movies?" Jake laughed. I was sincere.

"You really are new…. Sometimes, the actor has a hard time closing the scene, you know?" he gestured below the belt. "So they bring in a stunt cock for the big finish."

"Oh dear lord." I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"Heh, he'll calm down once he comes up with his performance name."

"Heh, performance name." I smirked at the double meaning.

"Hey, names have power!" didn't I know it!

"What's your performance name?"

"Jack Rockhardt." He said with confidence. I didn't react. He looked despondent. "You never heard of me?"

"Don't get upset, I don't watch this stuff." I shrugged. He looked worse. He introduced me around, I got a few good laughs and some valuable information and set to work assembling cameras and putting them in place. I got the name 'stilts' from Joan, the producer, but after a while of trying to covertly discern if she was a suspect or not she got flushed and gave me busywork while she vanished. Oopse. The whole notice me noticing you thing. Then I felt it. The palatable anger and ill will, surging through the building seeking out its prey. I followed it, grabbing my tackle box, and made my way to the dressing rooms apparently.

There was a scream just as I tore into the room surprising and passing a man and a naked woman, and shoved a man out my way to bust through a second door. My senses warned me just in time to jump, landing on my but onto the counter. A woman sprawled on the floor, while blood began to pool around her as scalding hot water spat out the broken shower glass onto the floor. The water spread to a broken light fixture, I hexed it, then the power went out… in the entire building. I sighed. It would be nice to have finesse in some aspect of my life. I got down to the girl, letting my mother's amulet fill the room with light, and examined her wounds. A large shard of glass cut her ear to collarbone. There were questions and panic but I barked orders and they were obeyed.

Bobby called the ambulance, Jake brought me ice and Joan and Emma held flashlights for me while I tried to wrap Gisele up and ice her wound. She stopped breathing so Jake and I administered CPR. When the EMTs arrived they said we saved her life with our quick decisive action. Everyone looked at me. I ran to her rescue like I knew it was going to happen, furthermore, I knew instinctively how to take care of everything and save her life. It was a little suspicious.

I snooped around the bathroom for a while, piecing together what happened. "How did you know?" Joan asked from the door in a shaky, almost accusatory tone.

"I felt it; I didn't know where from, but I knew something bad was coming and followed it to her. I saw the downed light and the shower running, so I didn't touch the water, then the power went out, thank god, so I just-"

"You've seen a lot of people get hurt before?" she asked. I could tell she was shaking. I could feel her fear; of me, of the curse. No one ever seemed afraid of Thomas. I was doing something wrong. I nodded.

"Her face was burned, there wasn't fog on the windows yet, but it was hot and muggy. I think the water turned hot she broke through the glass, cutting herself, and then the light dropped, electrocuting her. She could have died three times over." I shook my head. "Poor girl."

"But you saved her. My god, I set up the water heater, and the power- I-"

"It wasn't you. It was the Molochio."

"Damn it, Stilts, did Arturo fill your mind with that crap? The superstitious fool. If it wasn't mistakes on my part, it has to be sabotage, not some hocus pocus." We were all sent out for a long lunch, told to return at 3pm so I returned to my office where Kincaid; a mercenary I met a while back who had a knack for vampire hunting and was never far from a little girl with all the world's written knowledge downloaded into her brain, held me at gunpoint to negotiate our contract. The Archive was in town with him I presumed, which made me a little weary considering bloodthirsty monsters were lurking about. We came to terms and he left me to investigate more into Genosa.

I got as much info I could and decided to check up on the pup while I had time. I went back to SI and found the little scamp fighting Snoopy in the waiting room. I greeted Murphy's partner Stallings and traded some banter, then grabbed the pup and knocked on her office door. She swore up a storm, but let me in, knowing it was me. The heat off this woman scared the piss out of me. I laughed nervously and tried to escape but when she slammed the door on me I knew something was up. She never threw fits.

"Murph? Or are you some sort of doppelgänger?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She pouted through the door. _Fine, don't talk we have cpl remember?_ I thought as I felt out her mood, and the pup had begun to growl at me. My eyes were turning silver and I couldn't help but think of my chat with Bob. I was hungry. I had skipped my last two bites and now I craved a cookie; a warm, moist, sweet, delicious cookie. To the dog's high-pitched growl, the other cops in the area were watching me press my hands and forehead into the door, growling myself, in a deep quiet rumble. But the sound Karen made from inside her door; that unmistakable deep groaning scream of climax, made everyone snap to attention. "Oh, God I need a cookie!"

O'Toole hurt himself jumping out of his chair, muttered an affirmative and hurried away to get his boss a cookie. The door swung open, and I could see her flushed cheeks under a forced scowl. I laughed. "You are going to have so many cookies!" she dragged me out to the thicker walled emergency stairway and pushed me into the wall.

"Why am I coming about cookies? Or why are you coming about cookies?" she shook her head. The cpl thing was hard to tell who was who as far as source of thoughts. Like hive mind.

"It was a metaphor."

"Nice first day on the job?" she asked with a smirk.

"Terrible." I replied quickly and sincerely. "I'm going back at 3. You first, why you bat shit crazy?"

"My mom called."

"Bad news?"

"Not really but yeah." She chewed on her lip some, not making any effort to elaborate.

"You want to clarify or cum to cookies again?" I threatened. She shook her head.

"My sister is engaged…"

"I didn't know you had a sister!"

"Worse yet, my baby sister will be showing up to the reunion with a fiancé, while I go stag."

"Take me." I offered. She shot me a look that read, 'like I'm bringing a family foreign, lust sucking, vampire/wizard to a family function.' Ouch. "I'm sure your boyfriend, O'Toole will go then." She shot me another look reading, 'shut up, it's not like that.' When I feed on a girl she carries herself a little different, she exudes a level of confidence men find very appealing, and she typically is imbued with a sexual energy that also attracts. That said, the cute cheerleader look plus being really cool, with a dash of me feeding on her, and that equaled a hell of a catch. So for O'Toole, yeah, it was like that. And that kind of pissed me off. I mean, he probably felt pretty special, spending all that extra time, learning how to spot and protect against monsters, taking out trolls and what have you with her, and I was on a case, out of sight, out of mind. Maybe there was a moment she let her guard down around him too. He was younger too and young guys read whatever they want into situations like that. I mean he was god-knows-where grabbing cookies for her right now because she said she needed some… in a really sexy voice.

"I'm just worried about talking to my mom. I don't want to let her down, but I feel like I already have. I'm the oldest, I should be the one with a family of my own, but instead, Lisa and the triplets are all married or engaged, JR already has two boys and a third on the way-"

"How many siblings you got?" she held up 4 fingers. I whistled.

"And I want to be close to her but since Rich left, and the monsters thing…"

"I get it. You want to be close but you can't share everything and she'll know you're holding out. But I don't get why you have to avoid her altogether." Murphy made a whimper and slumped and put her head in the pit of my chest. I pet her hair "I wish I did though. I wish I had 4 siblings, a mom, uncles, Clan Dresden Annuals… hell, I'll take a Clan Murphy Annual, if you'd let me."

She shook her head rubbing that little button nose, wet from tears, over my sternum. It felt hot, and made me think how vulnerable she was… how she needed me to console her and distract her from her pain. The stupid little pup growled and bit me. But I was thankful he did. I had at some point pinned Karen against the wall, and was working my way into her pants. She seemed shocked like she didn't notice either, and O'Toole seemed shocked too. He had run up the stairs with a box of cookies to find me one hand still in the cookie jar, one hand holding a crying Murphy against a wall by her hair with a growling grey puppy hanging off my leg by the teeth. I backed up, scooped up the pacified puppy, and whispered an apology to Karen then retreated down the stairs to get back to the set.

A girl with thick black hair braided into princess lea buns, and deep purplish grey eyes dressed like a hippie, clinging a clipboard greeted me on set. We got along well enough but when she fought me tooth and nail about the consumption of meat, I decided she was a heathen meant to be tolerated but not liked. Then I had a private chat with Genosa to go over what I figured, which I didn't want to jump to any conclusions yet, not to mention I hadn't learned everything I needed to know yet. Trixie Vixen showed up and made a dumb sexy ass of herself, then Arturo introduced his replacement for Giselle. Lara Romany, another white court vampire. We faced off a bit, her eyes were a deep grey purple, but we broke off before a soul gaze happened. She smiled mischievously, and my pants tried to entertain her. After introductions and a chat about how Inari was old enough to act in the films, and how they were sisters and how Thomas was their brother, she escorted Arturo to take his medication. So Thomas, Lara, and Inari were siblings? Hells Bells. I resolved to punch Thomas when I saw him again.

I used Arturo's phone to call Murphy and apologize again, as well as ask her help tracking some leads. While Murph was reciting every euphemism for breasts in the book someone tried to kill me… with poison darts. I gave pursuit but was tangled in phone cord and had to give up the chase, she was long gone. "Harry? You alright?" Murph asked from the phone.

"Yeah someone tried to kill me with a poison dart." I dug a discarded cigar tube from the trash bin and stored the dart in it.

"Get out of there, Harry." Her fear poured out of her voice, my cpl let me feel it like electricity through my body.

"Don't worry about me, doll." I said in my best detective voice, as I snooped some more. I eventually had to do my cover job so I found my way to the set, reclaimed my dog, and got to work. When Lara went onset for her scene I decided to go out for fresh air. That's when I found a dark figure lurking about and chased it down. Oh it was Thomas, so I punched him in the face. We sat in the light of the parking lot discussing things and were greeted by Lara, toting two guns, wearing something lacy that didn't cover much, in heels that made her half a foot taller.

"Harry Dresden, I presume." My god, her voice was sexy. "So this is what you were planning little brother?" She addressed Thomas. I listened on the sidelines and basically gathered that the Raiths were like the Romanovs of the White court. There was about to be a rebellion and some division in the white court and Thomas was making a play for boink czar.

"Lara." He said in a strange tone. Lara swayed, and her eyelashes fluttered. "Lara, listen to me." He said, in a hypnotizing tone. We stood together, and then moved away from each other, flanking Lara. She held out her guns, and then shot us both. I hissed as the bullet pierced my leg. Thomas spun at the hip. Lara backed away from us. Inari plowed out the door and saw the standoff and screamed, then a slithering feeling came over me, and the other three white vampires felt it too, though Inari was proving herself less tolerable by the second. She screamed and fell to Thomas's side and despite seeing that Lara stood over both of us with two guns in hand, the two of us shot, Inari accused me of shooting her brother.

3 black court vampires emerged from the shadows but stayed just out of sight while they seemed to sway and converse with a fourth party. "Lara, I realize you are somewhat invested in killing us, but from where I'm standing it seems the tides have changed."

"I concur, Dresden." Every time she spoke my name it seemed to insult her. "Pax then?" I pushed the bullet out my leg by flexing the already healed muscles around it then the flesh healed behind the bullet hole. I went to Thomas, and had to fight Inari for the pleasure of fishing his bullet out but he took seconds to heal as well. He didn't look too good. Like the way a normal person looks with a hip fractured by a bullet. I turned my attention back to the three black vamps.

When Inari saw them I was hit with a nauseating yet delicious wave of fear. "Their faces, what's wrong with their faces?"

"Hells Bells, what kind of vampire are you?" I asked her. She turned to me with a startled confused face and I knew.

"You never told her?"

"Father's policy." The tall sexy Raith shrugged her soft milky shoulder.

"Your family is twisted, Lara, It really is." I stood beside her and she passed me a gun with a mischievous grin and bedroom eyes. I focused on the Black Court. "Why aren't they moving?"

"Speaking with their master."

"Should we attack?"

"That will just rile them up. We have time on our side."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Miss Raith." I said.

"What's going on?" Inari shrieked and split my eardrums.

"Be a good girl and don't ask any more questions, Inari." Lara said. The girl went silent thank god.

"Raith's favorite, his baby, and his bastard sons? This is a fortunate night." The female said, though it wasn't her voice.

"Evening Mavra, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to hurry things along. I got a hot date after this." I mouthed off.

"Jesus, Harry." Thomas said as he stood beside his baby sister. "You drunk or something?" I laughed and winked at the Vampire.

"Just thinking positive." I said. A few things happened at once, the center vamp was called one ear, I took it from him a while back, and he went for Lara. The shorty went for Thomas, and I got the female. I sidestepped out of the way of her charge and elbowed her in the back then shot her in the head until I ran out of bullets. At the same time, the shorty bypassed Thomas and grabbed Inari by the arm and twisted it, bone crunched and popped, and she screamed. Thomas kicked it away from her and followed it into a wall. Lara shot one ear's legs out from under him. Then I felt the Molochio coalesce over poor Inari, I had seconds to act. I grabbed her right arm with my left hand and when the power of the curse surged into her I drew it through me and after the slow charging one ear. Inches before he reached Lara, a whole frozen turkey came falling out of the sky, and caved his head and rib cage into the bulk of his mass, and dropped him to the concrete. His remaining limbs thrashed for a few seconds, then he was dead. "And for my next trick, Anvils!"

The struggle paused to look at that for a second, and then we turned our attention to shorty. The female, missing the lower half of her face, and barely holding her head up with hopes and dreams flew from the ground after Lara. Lara turned with her gun and unloaded it into the black vamp's eyes but that only slowed her down. Lara sidestepped her as I had before, then grabbed her by the head, stuck one sexy heeled shoe on her back and pulled head and a little spine right out of the charging vamp.

Shorty was holding his own with Thomas, the two bled from fingernail scratches and scuffs from being thrown into walls. Then Thomas's eyes went white, with no pupils or anything, his skin seemed to shrink over his face, and became luminescent, and he dug his thumbs into shorty's eyes, and spat "keep away from my family." Then yanked the black vamp's head off and passed out. Inari began to scream again.

I sighed in anger and turned to Lara. "We need to go. I'll bring my car around." I dashed through the building, grabbing my coat and puppy, and went out the other end to grab my car. I brought it to the back and put Thomas on the driver side rear, while Lara loaded Inari on her side. We got in, and the pup tried to comfort Inari while I started driving. "They need a hospital."

"I have a doctor at our mansion." Lara shook her head. "And Justine is there, Thomas needs to feed or the hunger will kill him."

"Where to then?"

"North, along the lake, I don't know the street names." I turned to blindly head north at the behest of the vampire… well we all were weren't we? I looked at the puppy… 4 vampires and a baby demon. Heh. Lara fished my phone out of my duster on her lap, and then made a call. We arrived at Château Raith, which was built to look like a castle and had lighted reflecting pools that cast an interesting lighting effect on the walls. As we pulled in, two silver Rolls Royce came up behind us. The first had a man and a woman that took up guard positions while the second Rolls had an identical pair of twins to the first who opened the door for a man who's features split the difference between Thomas and me. He had Thomas's boyish charm, and height, but I shared his nose and brows. Thomas and I didn't have his eyes or chin, but I felt something from the man, and got a sinking realization about a few things.

As we got out of the car and gathered our fallen friends, we were met by big daddy Raith. Mouse didn't want to let Lara touch the girl so I put on my duster, and pocketed the pup, so the he couldn't threaten her any longer. I carried Thomas like a child, and a doctor came out of the house to gather Inari. Then Lara made me wait with Thomas.

"Lara, and Mister Dresden, what a pleasant surprise." "It is my lord." Lara replied. "Please," Daddy Raith plucked a rose from a nearby bush and trimmed the thorns and leaves off it with his longish nails, "this is hardly a formal meeting, I've missed you." "As have I, Daddy." Lara whispered as she hugged him and kissed his cheek. "That's a novel ensemble you're wearing there." He drawled. "Its been a busy night." She said, looking up at me. Her eyes conveyed something odd I didn't understand but knew to take as warning. I looked at daddy's eyes and understood. He was hungry, driven mad like a bloodthirsty beast that'd been chained up inches from a delicious steak. And he was angry with me for it.

"What have you let happen to your baby sister?" He turned to Lara. "Forgive me father, but that's why I brought Bruce. He will fix her up." She answered. "And the wizard?" Justine must have been patiently waiting behind me for some time. I didn't notice her with all that was going on but when I took an instinctive step back from Raith, I bumped into her. "I invited him, as a guest." Lara emphasized 'invited' which was monster law for 'off limits.' MC Hammer came to mind, and I suppressed the urge to dance. "Justine, please show Mister Dresden where he can put Thomas." Lara instructed.

Justine led us to Thomas's room. It was massive with columns and mirrors, and a fireplace, and a door to a luxurious bathroom then another to a ridiculously rich and beautiful bedroom. We were followed by one of the female guards. "She's here to dispose of the body." Justine said to me weakly when we got to Tommy's room. "Thomas is going to make it." I assured her. "Not him… me." Justine's voice cracked. I put him in the bed then looked up at the girl. "He's too far gone, he won't have any control. Most assuredly he will…" she began to cry. "Then don't," I told her. "Do you think he'd want you to die in his stead?" she gave me a sturdy look, the most direct and stable I've ever seen her, then she said clearly, "I love him."

It rocked me to my core. I pushed her off of Thomas then turned my eyes to the guard who waited at the door. I had never intentionally used my come-hither vamp vibe before but it was a part of me and I knew the principles of evocation well enough to fake it. The guard fought tooth and nail, but my will was greater. She moved sensually toward the bed, undressing as she approached. She crawled to me, my outstretched hand; as if she were a cat and I had a treat for her in that hand. She rubbed her face in my hand and let me pull her into a kiss and undress her. Then I suggested she kiss Thomas. Justine helped her by undressing Thomas and guiding her hips down over him. She kissed Thomas's head and instinctually he began to feed. The pup growled and I watched the woman arch her back then look at me, desire in her eyes. I held her hair and pulled her in for a kiss, but realized she would definitely die if I lost control. I forced myself not to feed and waited.

I watched Thomas as he grew visibly healthier, then I looked at the woman, and could feel her life draining fast. I threw her off the bed her hair was blond before, I could tell it was white now, but Thomas wasn't done. He took Justine by the neck and pulled her from kissing his hair to kissing his lips. I turned to stop him but Justine told me to bring the guard to Bruce, up the hall. Reluctantly I left them, and did as Justine requested. Bruce had me put the guard down next to Inari, which I felt was a terrible idea but Bruce was confident Inari wouldn't feed on her. Bruce directed me to a room that had clothes set out for me already. I let Mouse out and took a long shower.

When I finished and got dressed I was over disturbed by the fact that it fit perfectly and what's more, looked great on me. The pants were khaki so light they were almost white, and a fit that could only be tailored. The white comfy cotton undershirt was the kind Michael Jordan always advertised without a tag, and the shirt that went over was thin, white, and also a fit that could only be tailored. There were only 4 buttons so I buttoned them all and left the cuffs open, and put on my mother's amulet, my force rings, and shield bracelet. With the two days of stubble and hair that was already falling into a fashionable coiffure though I hadn't brushed it yet, I was ruggedly handsome. I shook my head at the mirror and turned to the pup. Without food, drink, or a lady friend to feed on, I was feeling kind of empty, drained. I let the little psycho sniff around and passed out on the bed that felt exactly like mine at home.

Chapter Four

I awoke to Thomas entering the room and packing up my discarded clothes. He tossed the pup and my duster onto the bed, and shouldered the bag. "Harry, quick, get up, were leaving." I was groggy, and had a feeling something good was coming to me, like Christmas morning. I dawned the duster, got into my work boots then pocketed the pup and followed Thomas to a room lined with massive paintings. The women in each were life sized, as if they might step out the paintings to talk cheerfully with us. "Were here. I mean… I actually have you here, in our home. I've wanted to show this to you ever since I was little. But now…" Thomas laughed but his eyes watered a bit. I frowned at him, not sure what question I wanted to ask first, so I just looked around.

That was when I spotted the portrait of mom. It read Margaret La Fey. I fell to my knees in her presence. Thomas sat beside me on the floor. I understood now. McCoy told me my mother was in with the White Court. I knew there were 3 families of white court vamps, so I never assumed the Raiths to be the same vamps… and these suspicions I'd had since I arrived, all equaled one conclusion. Big daddy Raith was my father so Thomas was my brother. I chuckled then quoted Luke and Lea. Thomas laughed a little too, albeit nervously.

"You wanted to know why I had been helping you all this time. It was because of this." Thomas advised me. We had a nice long chat after that. Thomas told me some things important to a fledgling Vamp like Inari and myself.

"Hells Bells she doesn't know what she is, and she's drained from breaking her arm! Bruce is in danger!" I leapt to my feet but Thomas grabbed my arm.

"Bruce is fine. He knows how to handle our kind. My hope is that Inari is in love for her first time. The love can kill our hunger before we change." Thomas explained the love thing. That helped. He also explained the white court politics. No offense to Thomas but I made him soul gaze with me to make sure he was on the up and up, then I helped him to his feet so we could make a few calls. Once the sun came up I snuck out and returned to my apartment.

Nothing evil lurked at my home, but I saw signs that it tried to get in. I went back into my lab and called for Bob. He floated out of my cat and into his skull then began idly pumping up his ego. "Bob, did you find them?" I grew impatient. "Not yet," he answered. "But I narrowed it down." "To what Bob?" I asked, rubbing my stubble. "she's not hiding in any strip clubs or brothels." I threw an empty sports bottle at the skull. I took a few breaths, letting my eyes turn silver. I found a claw hammer and began to move toward my lab hand while he stammered excuses for his actions. "I need to know about MAVRA not strippers Bob. Now get your ethereal ass back in my cat and go find her. Check around Cabrini Green. Murph says there were a few missing persons reported there." I let the cat out with the boob crazed boob riding along, then headed to the police station.

Murph seemed to be in a good mood when she pulled her bike up to me. I stayed still as the front tire rolled to a stop between my legs. I could tell she waited till she was done admiring the view before removing the black helmet with tint so dark, it didn't look like it had a visor at all. "Good morning Harry."

"Morning, gorgeous." I answered. Its true, her hair looked nice slightly mussed and the helmet had messed it all up. My hunger lurked on the surface thanks to all the exertion lately so the compliment wasn't as flattering to her as I would have preferred. She looked at the bike. "You seem in high spirits." I tried to make conversation.

"I never realized how much I love riding my bike."

"All women love motorcycles, it's like a giant vibrator."

"You pig." Karen said with a smile, finally looking me over.

"Something's up." She said. I shrugged.

"Took a beating."

"You heal from beatings, this is another thing."

"I feel like Luke Skywalker right now." I looked down at Karen and I don't know if it was the reference or cpl but she nodded wisely then got off her bike and moved to my car. I moved to the drivers seat, kicked the blue beetle into gear and whisked her off to IHOP. Once out of the car, Karen rushed to me and gave me a full body hug. She felt my moods and knew I needed one very resounding.

We let go after a long pause then walked into the creepily barren IHOP. We were led to a booth where the archive sat eating pancakes that had once been a cute teddy bear shape with a side of fries and fruit. Kincaid eyed Murphy then smiled. "You said this was business, why'd you bring a date?"

"Well what's this, bring your daughter to work day?" I gestured to Ivy but when she looked at me I bowed and winked. She smiled, the cutest little freakishly powerful creature in the world. "She's my wingman. Person." I advised Kincaid. He laughed.

"Oh, I get it, she's a snack. Is that it vampire? Why don't you grab you a booster seat and join Ivy at the kids table, cupcake? Your boyfriend and I got business." Kincaid got scary, but so did Murph. She took a step in front of me and before even Kincaid could draw his gun all the way out it's holster, she had grabbed his gun hand, twisted it the wrong direction, and pushed her gun under his chin. He laughed, "I heard a report about her, but I wanted to make sure. I like this one."

"I bet you go for your gun with every girl you like." I grumbled as I sat at the booth next to Ivy, who had already completed all the activities on her placemat, and was coloring it in while munching on a fry. I couldn't help but rush to hug the little darling, and then present her with the puppy from my pocket. Ivy gave me a hug from under my arm with Mouse licking her chin. Murph stood there with the gun still in Kincaid's chin.

"She going to let go any time soon?"

I shrugged. "Ask her."

"What report?" Murphy asked him.

"Yeah, I'd like to know that too." I agreed.

"The vampires compiled a threat assessment on you, wizard Dresden. It includes where you live, work, measurements-" Ivy started to explain.

"That explains my threads. I spent the night with the Raiths, they had a whole wardrobe for me."

"Well it includes information about your allies as well. Karen Murphy, Aikidoka since age 11… I keep telling Kincaid I should learn a martial art… dabbled in over 8 other forms of martial arts, a competition shooter… She has been your ally for almost 8 years and your thrall for almost 6." Ivy continued then took a drink of her milkshake.

"Thrall!?" Karen and I said at the same time and equally indignant. Karen let Kincaid go then sat with me and the little girl, "what do you mean thrall?"

"Well, he IS a vampire of the white court. He chose to leave some of himself inside of you." Ivy began to say.

"Ewwww." I interrupted again. "You're too young to know about those things."

"You left a psychic conduit in her mind. A sort of two way radio between you." Ivy sneered at me.

"Oh okay, I was wondering about that actually." I said.

"Um, get rid of it." Murphy said to me.

"Yeah, how do I do that?" I asked Ivy. She shrugged. That was helpful. Kincaid waived in a waitress. She was so afraid when she got there I shuddered. I turned my silver eyes up to her and she and Murphy froze. The pup growled then I took control of myself. I flirted a bit, we ordered breakfast, and Kincaid and Murphy talked about guns briefly while I played with Ivy until I had food to consume. Murph ordered some healthy rabbit food crap so I held a delicious bite of strawberry stuffed French toast in her face till she ate it. "I can feel how much you like strawberries. Why deprive yourself"

"My hips hate you Dresden!"

"That's not what your hips said." I wiggled my eyebrows then was assaulted by a handful of lettuce. We discussed how scary and dangerous the assault would be then I paid for our breakfast and tipped the waitress handsomely and I drove Murphy back to the precinct. While in the car she seemed more than troubled.

"Murph?" I asked. She jumped out her skin. "Stars and Stones, are you okay?"

"I'm trying to adjust. In my head, I know what were doing is about the only thing we responsibly can, but I've been a peace officer since before I could drink and this kind of cowboy thing, isn't what a good cop does." She spoke slowly picking each word carefully.

"Mavra and her scourge think they're above the law in every sense that matters. The only way we can keep them from killing more people is killing them. If it helps, they're already dead anyway. And throwing them in jail won't do anything good either. We'll have another loup-garou incident best-case scenario. We're setting things right here."

"I know that here." She pointed at her head, "but I don't feel it here." She pointed at her heart. "The vampires aren't the problem. They'll have innocent people with them. People I signed on to protect." I looked down and put my hand on hers. "You once made a pocket full of sunshine-"

"I cant."

"Why not?"

"I have to be happy." She squeezed my hand as if I was going to fall off the face of the earth and her grip was all that was holding me there. "Sorry I didn't get to drag you into some horrifying, morally questionable, suicidal bloodthirsty carnage in time."

"Ill have my phone on me. Wolf Lake Park." She sighed. "T minus two hours and counting down."

"Whoa!"

"Whoa?"

"Whoa!"

"What's the matter with you?"

"A timer, or a schedule- the curse is on a schedule! Let me see the case files for the deaths in LA." Murphy rushed to get them out the compartment in her motorcycle and returned to the car with them. I scanned the documents then closed them and returned them to Murphy. "I get it now."

"Glad one of us does."

"The killer has to use a ritual. They don't have any magic of their own so they need a sponsor. And every sponsor has a set of rules to make things easier on all parties involved. This one needs to be cast 13 min before midnight or noon."

Murphy checked her watch. "It's 10:30 now." She hurried out the car. "Go get em" she said with fire in her eyes. I nodded and pulled out of CPD to stop the curse from claiming another.

Chapter Five

I spoke with Genosa briefly, and then wrangled Jake into helping me make a sort of ward against the evil magic. It would get trapped inside the chalk lines I had him draw, and be channeled toward a mirror I placed in a circle. The mirror would bounce the Molochio back at the bitch or bastard who cast it. From my conversation with Jake, I gathered that Arturo was about to marry again. I dialed Murphy while I got some coffee in me. The just of our convo was that Arturo had 3 ex wives and was about to marry again, but if he did, his exs would stop getting their alimony. I was about to learn who wife number 4 was when I heard a gun cock.

"Hang up your phone and put it on the table." I hit speaker instead of end and thought real hard for Murphy to be vewy vewy quiet. Trixie Vixen turned to the phone in her own hand and told the other end "I got him." Before turning her attention back to me. "Now put your hands where I can see them, Barry, I don't want to shoot you."

"You know, people don't want to crash their cars either, but there's always some idiot who drives while talking on the phone and crunch!" Trixie flinched. "Why don't you put the phone down, and come here. I'll make you that latte. Or maybe we can just chat." I tried that hypnotizing thing I did with the guard last night, and it worked a lot better this time. I speculated because Trixie wasn't much of a mental heavyweight. I had Trixie on her back on the table, feet pulling my hips toward her. I licked her neck from cleavage to chin then heard the screaming from her phone turn to static. I took Trixie's gun, and emptied it then stuck the gun in my pocket and ran out into the hall.

I figured Emma was the next target, and I found her on the side of the set being instructed to bring Arturo his pills by Joan. I stopped her, still radiating my vamp vibes, then grabbed her arm the same way I did with Inari. The power came quick and hard this time, and didn't give me time to redirect it. I just took the curse into myself, then the scaffolding dropped and a broken metal pole impaled me in the stomach, just under the ribs.

Had I been, say Emma's height, it would have struck my heart, but I'd bleed out the same. I pulled myself off the pole and fell to my knees to vomit from the pain. My blood was pink, like something pale was mixed in with normal blood, and it poured out my wound while my insides franticly stitched themselves together. It was more painful than the injury itself. Once all that was done, my skin covered the new muscles and I looked around at the frightened folks who just watched a silver-eyed monster repair a big hole in his gut. I moved toward Joan and she took a step back, shielding Emma from me. I nodded then ran to my car and got the hell out of there.

I retreated to my apartment and met Bob at the door. I stripped the second the door was closed and headed for the shower. After I was clean, I dressed in a pair of faded worn jeans, a black muscle shirt, and a white button up shirt that was missing a few buttons since Linda had torn it off of me. I packed a few things, and then dropped into the lab where Bob was already doodling something. It was incredible work, I felt like I was looking at a satellite picture of the homeless shelter but without a roof or color. There was a second page that was the basement. "Bout time!" I scolded Bob. "Where?"

"Just where you said, a homeless shelter near Cabrini Green." Bob was about to explain, but I stopped him. "Save it for the whole class. Get some rest, I'll wake you up in a few." I looked at my watch and went to my cell phone on it's charger. After telling Kincaid where the vamps were and making a different call with a box of rocks, I left my apartment and waited with Bob and some Vampire killing essentials and the maps Bob drew in a bag. The pup did his business then ambled around me and the staff in my hand felt particularly comforting.

An old beat up ford truck from before there were seat belts pulled into my gravel parking lot. I threw my pup and things inside and thanked my teacher for coming to help. "Glad to see you sir, I was feeling a bit swamped."

"In over your head again, I see. And you ain't been eating well in any sense of the word."

"Lets just get moving please. Wolf Park, first, we need to pick up Murphy." Ebenezer McCoy pulled out of the gravel lot and headed for the park.

"The police girl?" He asked shaking his head.

"Please don't call her that." I asked him, hoping she didn't feel him call her that through me somehow.

"I must be getting old, I thought you said Blampires over the stones…"

"I did. I was pressed for time so I shortened it from Black court vampires." Ebenezer McCoy tisked at me and shook his head. "What, too many acronyms? Hey I'm glad you took time to RSVP, I have a problem that needs to stay on the QT, but is rapidly going FUBAR. Sorry to call you LD, instead of UPS, but I needed your help ASAP. Hope that's OK"

"That's what's wrong with the youth of today. Trying to shorten everything. Who's scourge?"

"Mavra." Ebenezer shook his head. "Heard of her?"

"Heard of it! Killed a good friend of mine in the Venatori. Read a wardens file we have on it. Seems to have a bit of power."

"More than a bit. She's almost wizard level."

"So you want me to shut down her magic?"

"The thought occurred to me yeah. You drive us there, shut her down, I got a mercenary named Kincaid who's good with vamps, he Murph and I go in, sever some heads and save some mortals then come out. "

"I'll be able to throw a wet blanket on her, but she might still have enough juice to be annoying."

"I'll take whatever help I can get."

"And what about her death curse?" I looked at Ebenezer… man I need to shorten that… Geezer? No, too disrespectful. Neezer. I looked at Neezer and thought about things then got flustered.

"Oh come ON she's already dead!" I shouted. Neezer laughed. "Not fair."

"Where we headed?"

"A picnic."

Chapter Six

Wolf Park was no longer a province of Illinois but won land by the massive forces of Clan Murphy. There were gazebos with grills and folding tables, mosquito tents, and bounce houses, all overpopulated with redheads and blonds of all the shades of ginger from the other end of the rainbow. It closely resembled military camps in Medieval movies. Any moment some king Henry or Arthur was going to trot his white stallion through the camp to greet me. I even spotted, I kid you not, a trio of old, impressively white-bearded, men in kilts of dark green, light green and gold with the slightest bit of red. A banner with three crossed spears scrolling the motto 'brave and hospitable' stood out the ground by the trio's mosquito tent. Some younger folks were chatting with them over some beer, no doubt learning about their heritage. Finding Murph in this was going to be like finding a strand of hay in a haystack. I tried to be methodical but I was drawing attention to myself from a set of identical triplets who had apparently brought a generator to power their giant TV so even this family function couldn't keep them from football. They had manly bridged noses and the builds of mma fighters but the cornflower blue eyes, and dirty blond hair made it clear they were Karen's younger siblings. And they were cops.

A man just barely an inch over average, with a perfectly cut and groomed hair and goatee followed the attention over to spot me, in my black duster, black boots, and black mood. He approached me with that cautious cheer that clued me in that he too was a cop. Hells Bells, Murph, way to not be a stereotype. "Hey there." "Hey." "Mind if I ask what you're doing here?" "Yes" "listen buddy, this is a family function, maybe you can pick a different part of the park to look foreboding." I shook my head, if I wanted these copprechauns to adopt me some day, I should probably make them like me, huh?

"Sorry, I'm looking for-" forgive me "-my girlfriend." I answered as I scanned the masses. No good, there was a girl at the soccer field that resembled Murph enough but she was a girl. I was looking for a fearsome Valkyrie; none of those anywhere.

"Oh, what's her name?" he asked.

"Karen, Murphy." I answered. The guy looked surprised, but he tried to hide it.

"Soccer field."

"Thanks."

"You know it wouldn't hurt to be more polite."

"Maybe, but why take my chances now?" darn I should have asked for something more specific, but as I approached, the non-Valkyrie turned and it really was Karen. She hurried to give her whistle to a tall kid next to her then met me on my way to lead me to a different gazebo.

"You found them?"

"Yeah, our drivers here- you're in a dress!"

"Kincaid know?"

"I called him 20 minutes ago. You're in a dress!"

"I put an APB out for Tricia Scrump for holding you at gunpoint and attempted murder. She should be in jail but without proof she might be released and who knows what she might say. You did kind of sexually assault her. If she's a smart enough criminal she'll try and at least drag you through the red tape with her."

"Heard that part too huh?" I felt kind of dirty.

"Well I was worried about you feeding, so I guess you got some. I don't have to worry."

"Yeah well I kind of took on the Molochio and got impaled on the way. Whatever I sucked out of Trixie, I'm sure I've used up. But back to what's really bothering me. You're in a dress!"

"Mom made it for me. We gotta stop by her tent before we go. There she is." Murph walked up to her mother and performed a strained greeting ritual then she introduced me to her mom, then sister Lisa, then-

"RICH?" aka dude with the goatee from earlier. "What are you doing here?" rich helped Lisa off his lap. "You miserable son of a bitch."

"Karen!" Marion Murphy scolded her daughter. Karen did that thing that scares me, the laugh she gets when she's about to kill a man with her bare hands. At the same time Rich was trying to defend himself, something I learned in a month not to do when Karen laughed. She got real relaxed like almost a swagger and I knew she was going to strike so I put my arm around her shoulder, mostly to encumber her movements.

"Whoa, whoa, Karen, at least finish introducing me so I'll know who to duck." I said, feeling like I should have written a will. Karen tensed up, which was a good thing.

"Thank you Harry, I'm glad there's at least one other adult here." Marion sighed.

"Harry, this is my baby sister, Lisa, and my second ex husband… whom are now engaged without anyone giving me a heads up."

"Not my fault you're too big a bitch to keep a man!" Lisa bitched at her sister like she was on Jerry Springer then gave me a look of confusion. I was decidedly an upgrade from Rick in the looks and temperament department.

"LISA" Marion scolded.

Karen tried to lash at her sister but since her dress had no sleeves, and my arm was over her shoulder in just a way that I could touch her without moving much, I quickly found some skin up her arm then trailed my fingers to her neck, then I bent to her ear and whispered, "no time, remember?" her eyes kind of rolled in her head and she went from piano wire to mildly annoyed kitten in half a second flat. Rich made a face that conveyed 'how the hell did you do that?' then I gave Rich a 'do your job' look and he nervously took Lisa's hand.

"Oh-kay, come on babe, lets find a beer." Rich risked another glance at me then frowned and kept going. I let go of Karen before she hit me, and was rewarded with a burger with all the fixings but cheese. One bite and I was in heaven. I munched while Karen talked to her mother, then she got a call on her cell and walked out of earshot.

"That'll be work, I presume. She's always so busy. I'm surprised you have any time to yourselves." Ah, asking about our relationship. I chewed and swallowed to answer but she moved on. "You're the wizard, yes?"

"Yes ma'am" Karen told her about that?

"I saw you on Larry Fowler."

"Ah. Yeah." I said. She laughed.

"I'm sorry my daughter dragged you into our family squabble."

"I volunteered."

"You regret it?"

"Heck no. She's been there for me too many times, Mrs. Murphy-"

"Call me mama."

"Well mama," I suppressed a giggle of glee. "The kind of things she's faced in SI, and with me, can be especially difficult and disturbing. Your daughter saves lives, there are lots of people who would be dead right now if it weren't for her, and I'm several of them."

"Before SI the detectives in precinct 13, who handled the ghosts and goblins and that sort were called black cats." I looked taken aback. She smiled. "My Collin, Karen's father, was a Black Cat Detective."

"She never told me."

"I never told her. She could have figured it out by now. But it makes her feel like she's protecting me from some awful truth; by keeping what she does a secret. It makes her happy to believe she's fooling me, so I hassle her about things to show I care." Mama Murphy looked me over "I'd say she's doing just fine." A grin spread across my face. "What?"

"I see where she gets it." Karen beckoned me to her I rushed right over.

"its Kincaid The red cross just arrived."

"Crap."

"I'm calling it in."

"No!" I grabbed the phone. "Kincaid? Get those Red Cross guys to get lost or something keep them away. Were on our way." I hung up then turned to Murphy. "No backup. We'll only get people killed."

"Don't tell me how to do my job."

"This isn't your job, it's mine."

"You think I'm too stupid to know how to handle this?"

"I think you're too wound up to think straight. Getting the mortal authorities involved will be bad for everyone, any hostages, your SI guys, and IA is chomping at the bit to have another go at you. This could give them that chance." She swore and looked down. Thomas never has this problem with his thrall.

"What do you expect me do?"

"I expect you to trust me, Murph." I dared not touch her but I really wanted to. I put myself at eye level, and she looked up for a moment then looked back down.

"Fine… but were going to have a talk after this." I nodded and returned to Mama Murphy while Karen gathered her things.

"Work?" Mama asked. I nodded. "That was quite the argument." I shrugged. "It would seem you've won."

"And I'll pay for it later." I answered. That response seemed to please her. She passed me a coke, the angel.

"Let me make you another burger." She assembled 3 more burgers, and then looked at me. "Will you take care of my daughter?"

"Yes, ma'am, of course I will."

"Let me get you some cake." She smiled brightly.

I hugged Mama goodbye then Joined Karen in the parking lot where Neezer pulled up on que. After some getting to know each other Karen ended up in the driving seat and I passed McCoy a coke, burger and slice of grilled pineapple upside down cake. I ate my cake blissfully distracted from Karen's crazy but effective driving. Once there, she pulled into a parking garage, I asked her to stop at the first floor so we didn't' spook Kincaid, so she did and Neezer gave us a bit before he would pull up.

Chapter Six

As we walked up I bent to Karen's ear. "I know you're afraid, I can feel it." She shrugged "hey it's smart. That's why I picked you; because you know what's in there. I'm scared of it too."

"What if I freeze again?"

"You wont."

"But what if I do?"

"I'll be there."

"The people-"

"We'll get them out first."

"But what if-" I could feel everything she felt, her fear of becoming like Denton and his crew, her fear of innocent blood being spilled, and fear of letting me down. There was no quick and simple way to ease those fears with words so I pulled her into a full body embrace and kissed her.

"Shut up and dance." I tried to sound as suave as possible. She nodded.

"I got it, let go." She half reluctantly pushed herself out of my arms and fixed her hair and dress. "I kind of needed that."

"Uh… I don't think I said it well before… you look good in the dress." She snorted and pulled my hand to get me walking again. I turned to look at Neezer shaking his head in the truck. Murphy dropped my hand before we were in view of Kincaid we warned him about Neezer and then I put the pup in the protective custody of the archive and laid out the maps and pulled Bob out my bag.

"Why'd you bring that thing?" Murphy asked. Bob yawned. I forgot he was always asleep or in my lab when Murphy was over. "Jesus, Marry, and Joseph!" she jumped into me.

"Hey, the cop chick! And in a dress! Hubba Hubba." Bob said while giving the impression he was wiggling eyebrows. Karen gave me that 'you are in trouble' look.

"A talking skull!"

"Well he's a spirit inside the skull. He just feels better when he makes the jaw move."

"It's a talking skull."

"Tell me that ain't the incredibly powerful and dangerous air spirit. The thing I could have sworn was destroyed decades ago because it had knowledge from centuries of working with THE most terrifying necromancer to ever live." Kincaid drawled.

"I just call him Bob, its shorter." Ebenezer McCoy arrived and for a second he and Kincaid tried to kill each other, but they mutually didn't want to kill me so I used that to make peace. Then Neezer had a thing or two to scold me about the skull. "Everybody listen to Bob please, he's going to give us the rundown." He did and answered some questions then we strategized, then Karen closed herself inside the van to change. I stopped her and took the skull back much to his protest. She gave me a silent thank you, and I scowled at Bob. Kincaid passed me a paintball gun loaded with holy water balls and garlic water. Then it was go time.

Ivy, Neezer, and Bob waited in the van with the little puppy; Ivy got a slice of cake for being adorable, while I drove the Red Cross van up to the shelter. Kincaid suggested I stay in the van until he and Karen got everyone out. It took him about 40 seconds to bring out 4 humans then he beckoned me inside. There were 6 people just standing there swaying as if waiting in line at the bank. I opened my sight and the two closest to the door were fine so I indicated to Kincaid that he could take them outside. The next person in the corner closest to me was fine too, but the next person closest to me, a large man in his mid thirties it seemed, was horribly maimed in my sight. He lunged at me; I just had enough time to raise my staff into his path. But he could reach my face, with his face. He bit into my cheek from my eye to my cheek. I screamed in pain, but he was human, and I think I screamed that. Human versus me, I'd save the human.

My sight was still open when Karen put her boot in the Renfield's mouth. She was a fiery angel, in that same Greco-Roman style gown as the first time id seen her with my sight, now stained with blood and ichor. A silvery shadow of me stood behind her holding her womb and her head, following close behind her. She delivered another kick to the mortal's head and a large hideous demonic figure came and wrestled him away. Karen handled the other two while I felt out any wards on the stairway, there were none. We regrouped; Kincaid took point, then Karen, then me. We followed the stairs down, far deeper than any normal basement. We were entering undertown, or coming down to it's level. I was glad to release the sight. Undertown wasn't pretty.

We got to the bottom without incident, and Karen covered us while Kincaid and I checked out the cedar closet where the hostages were being held. When I gave him the clear for enchantments he opened it up and found an AP mine. I talked to the kids to calm them while Kincaid checked the mine out. We concluded that someone small would have to go under the infared beams to disarm the mine. Karen gave me her shot gun and slipped out of her Kevlar then I could hear Kincaid talking her through. "stop!" he said. I risked a peak at what they were doing, Karen was still halfway out of the closet. "Unclench."

"Unclench what?"

"Your ass! You're gonna trip the beam, you need another quarter inch. Relax."

"I am relaxed."

"Oh… damn, great ass." Kincaid said, "take your pants off."

"Excuse me?"

"Take off your pants, think of the children."

"I can't"

"Right. Hold still, ill do it." Karen gasped. "I don't bite."

"Okay." Karen replied in a small voice, trying to suppress her arousal. I'm a lust sucker remember? I can tell! I looked again. Ugh! I wanted to slug Kincaid. He began talking her through disarming the bomb while I felt something in the distance.

I threw two of my own chemical lights into the room and could sense and see the movement. I listened; 5 heartbeats belonging to humans, 4 belonging to dogs, and one figure without a heartbeat; Mavra. I gulped audibly but moved foreword, raising the shotgun "trouble. 5 Renfields, 4 dark hounds and Mavra's awake."

"Indeed." Mavra replied. "I've been watching you, Dresden. I've admired you a long time; another vampire who can use the art at such a level. But I wonder… how you fare against your weapon of choice?" at that moment two Renfields stepped into the hall with flamethrowers. I barely had enough time to react. I fired the shotgun twice then tossed it behind me and grabbed my staff. I tried to focus my shield far away from my body as it was spattered with home made napalm. The flesh of my arm shrank and reddened as the pain became unbearable. I could barely keep conscious, never mind hold up a shield and focus a spell. Then I thought of the children huddled behind me, and the women who were cursed for just working on Arturo's set, and that made me mad.

I called up wind that churned down the hall splattering the two Renfields with their own concoction, but the others seemed to see it coming. They ducked into the side compartments, escaping the initial blast, but the tanks spewed more napalm over the area, and my winds spattered the walls until the entire space was coated with streaks of flames. Two bursts of 3 round shots hit me in the chest, I raised my shield in time to stop the third, fourth and fifth, then the Renfields stopped shooting. I only hoped my body kept the first shots from reaching the others.

I gathered another gale force wind to slam into the remaining Renfields but was piled with dogs. "Kincaid! Get inside and arm the bomb!" a few seconds went by and I heard Karen scream my name. I swung my staff and called the wind, tearing the dogs painfully from where they clung to my sleeves, pants and stomach. I ran, preparing my shield then slid through the door through the infrared beams and put up my shield.

The mine went off, and threw metal balls bouncing off my shield and hurdling down the hall. Once the smoke cleared, I broke the chain joining the cuffed hostages but Kincaid found the keys to the cuffs and uncuffed everyone. Karen and I tried to calm the children while Kincaid left to ensure all the vamps were dead. I put my coat on Karen then she began to lead the children out while I went to help Kincaid. It's a good thing. As he walked down the hall toward me, I spotted a mangled female form. Kincaid saw my face and dropped and I shot Mavra with the paintball gun loaded with holy water balls, and it actually worked. Kincaid drew his spear and tore it through her neck, and lit her up with the incendiary round loaded inside it.

Once we got out to the red cross van, we loaded up the kids into it, and Kincaid got into the driver seat while Karen helped me onto a gurney. "My god, Harry, your arm!"

"It's fine, I was going to send it back to the kitchen anyway. I ordered it medium well."

"Why aren't you healing? You still have the bites from earlier."

"More importantly, pink panties with little white bows?"

"I won't hit you because you're injured, but once you recover…"

"Hey, it goes well with your Kevlar. Shows you're a woman with her priorities straight." She slugged me in the arm. We got to the garage and Neezer and Bob got into the red cross van while Kincaid passed me an envelope then Ivy risked pecking me on the forehead with a sweet smile then got solemn and looked to Murphy.

"His hunger is eating him. He will die if he does not feed." She said gravely before returning to the other van with Kincaid. Murphy turned to look at me, I was in so much pain, but I shrugged and told Neezer to head for Mary of the angels church and give the kids to father Forthill, then regroup at my place for round two.

"Round 2?" Neezer and Murphy asked together. I fell asleep before I could answer.

Chapter Seven

When I awoke I was sprawled in my bed. I heard Murphy and Neezer arguing about something then Karen entered the room. I couldn't move my arms and legs and felt a heightened sense of what Karen was feeling.

She removed the Kevlar vest then her shirt and lacy pink bra. Then climbed into the bed and began to undress me. She was more afraid than she was before the raid on the scourge. At least there was a chance for success there, but here there was only one outcome definite; death. One of us was going to die. I felt my hunger reach for her, my eyes went completely white, and Karen's skin flushed as she bent down to kiss me, her hair fell over her shoulder and brushed my face and neck. She moved lower and I felt it start to draw in her energy.

It was slow at first. I gained enough to regain myself. My wounds all began to heal, the bullets had gone clean through me and were stopped by my duster, so there was nothing to remove. The deep bites in my gut and face closed first, then the bullets, all the while my hand was casting off the charred flesh for pale pink new flesh, and I could feel Karen more and more. No this was wrong. It had to stop or I would kill her. I tried to push her away but I was still weak, so I shouted "no" but it came out as a rough rasping sound. The puppy growled ferociously from the other side of the door and I heard someone try the handle. Then the door just blew in off it's hinges and Ebenezer McCoy grabbed Murphy and took her out of the room.

The puppy and my cat scampered into the room and whined under my bed, apparently confused by the happenings but taking my side. I heard Ebenezer speaking to Murphy softly then the door opened, there was scuffing sounds then it closed. I sat in the quiet dark for an hour before the door opened again. I could move now so I put on a pair of white sweatpants that didn't have elastic in the waist or ankles just pull strings in the waist and sat in the living room.

"How is she?" I asked Ebenezer.

"She's fine, actually. I got her off of ya in time. Told her not to do it, but she said you'd die, and shoot, I would of let any other vampire dry up right there…" Neezer stopped tears from welling up then sat beside me.

"How did you know Kincaid?"

"We're both-"

"Assassins? But the laws of magic."

"The council got to realizing there were forces out there that wouldn't abide by the councils laws. They needed someone who would take care of those threats."

"An enforcer, who was forgiven of the laws."

"Yes."

"Kincaid called you BlackStaff."

"Yes."

"You called him HellHound."

"Some times there are folks born with blood from the Nevernever, like changelings, but there's more than fairies there, as you well know. Their offspring are often deformed, crazy, vile monsters… but sometimes, they seem normal like Kincaid. He was working for the creature, Vlad Drakul."

"Dracula?"

"His daddy. Far worse of a monster. By comparison the impaler was a pale skinny kid who went to the black court as a teenage rebellion. No, the creature was far worse, and far crueler. And Kincaid was his right hand. He was given the name hound of hell."

"You told me the council gave me to you because they wanted to annoy you. Punish you for not showing up. But they wouldn't send a potentially dangerous element to live with their hatchet man. Why did you get me really?"

"To observe you, and kill you if you got rebellious."

"I was plenty rebellious."

"Jehoshaphat boy it wasn't your fault you was raised wrong. It wasn't your fault who your daddy was, what you turned out to be. Had I known sooner, I'd have picked you up myself before DuMorne had a chance at ya."

"Known what? What is it?" the old man mulled over his words then stood. "The council knew you were the son of Margaret LeFay, a dangerous warlock, and-"

"Lord Raith." I finished. Ebenezer nodded.

"That snake, Raith killed her with an entropy curse. I was one of the investigators. I assumed you had died, but your mother found a mortal man to take you. You were below our radar. I didn't know it was you until your trial, all I could do was offer to take you in and kill you if you got out of hand."

"You aren't telling me everything. Why would black staff McCoy bother about the son of a warlock and a vampire?"

"Even the council doesn't know."

"Tell me." My rage and hurt burned, my eyes turned silver, then Ebenezer looked right into them and the tears wouldn't stay back.

"Margaret LeFay was my daughter. I couldn't help her, so I thought," the pain of a child who lost everyone he loved, the pain of betrayal by my mentors, and the physical exhaustion I felt all drop out of me. I had a brother, and now a grandfather. I stood too fast but directed my fall onto the old man, and he held me there for a moment. "I'm so sorry Hoss." I was crying too. We were both so wound up we didn't notice Karen's motorcycle pull up, or her walk up to my door, linger a moment then walk in with a big black bag, a brightly colored baby bag, and a baby only a couple months old swaddled in pink and yellow and green blankets.

I looked up at her and said, "Stars and Stones, you work fast!" She rolled her eyes.

"She's not mine, she IS yours apparently… and Susan's." she passed the child into my arms and pulled a tri folded Peruvian certificate of live birth out the baby bag. Ebenezer took the certificate and gave me another teary look, but he wouldn't cry in front of Karen.

"Name's Margaret Marry Dresden. Child born of two vampires"

"She's pink court." I rocked her in my arms. "Uh, how-"

"When a man and a woman love each other very much." Murphy began to explain.

"No, I mean, Susan must have been here between Neezer arriving and you. And she just left the kid and took off?" I was defused I couldn't think straight. This was a curve ball to say the least. Karen put her things down then took the bundle of joy from my arms and sat in a chair. The baby began to make soft happy dream noises and the puppy and cat came to investigate. I had to force myself to get moving. I got into the shower then once I was clean I threw on some black bdu pants and black turtleneck. "Yeah, baby later, Raith now."

"Hoss, you can't kill him, magic just slides right off of him. He's protected by a demon or elder thing, or god."

"Is that even possible?"

"Aye, I don't know how, but it explains how he got to be the white king."

"But mom was close to him, had two damn kids with the guy, and if she was the big bad warlock you say she was, then she wouldn't spend her curse on nothing."

"She threw it. She wasted it."

That pissed me off. Mom wasn't dumb, she had to have done something with the curse like the soul gaze thing she put on Tommy and me. "Death curse doesn't have to be a curse of death necessarily… Bob!" Karen pointed at her bag, where I fished the skull out. "Bob, could mom have done something with her death curse other than kill Raith if he's protected from magic?"

"Sure sure, if she cast the spell on you to have a continual effect on _him_. Blood is powerful. His own blood too, that hurts." Bob sounded excited about it.

"That's thinking outside the box, boy, but how does that help?" Neez said looking at me.

"Thomas said Raith use to do this kiss of death thing; its like feeding but it only takes a second and boom the person is dead. But he doesn't do it any more. And I've looked into Raith's eyes. He looks like a hungry animal. I think… I think mom cursed him to never be able to feed. At some level the other whites are aware that he's lost power and are vying for his position, my brother included."

"Brother?" Neezer asked.

"Thomas Raith, is your brother? Merciful Minerva." Karen asked as she rocked the baby.

"Speaking of." I dialed Thomas's cell. It only rang once before Inari picked up.

"Hello? Thomas?"

"No it's Harry Dresden. I was hoping to talk to Thomas."

"Some of my fathers men took him, made him drop his phone in the parking lot. I have your phone too."

"Where are you?"

"The studio. I was told that you-"

"Is Lara there?"

"Yes"

"Put her on." I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"Hello Harry. Such a pleasure-"

"Can it, sis, I know Pops is the one behind the curse on Arturo's set, and he's using the ex Genosas club as his stregas."

"Oh?"

"Yep. You were probably a plant too. Gain control over Genosa once his love was all gone."

"And you. A White with your power would be very useful."

"Where did you take Thomas?"

"You know it excites me when you're so direct. So debonair."

"Well get ready, because I want him in one piece, and I'm willing to destroy anyone who gets in my way. But I'm willing to pay you to help."

"With what?"

"Control over the white court. Remove your father from power."

"You make it sound so simple."

"I know you whites get a hard on for conspiracies and mind games, so you just put my pawn ass in place and watch me take the king for you. Good old cat-paw Dresden."

"Few would have such close seats to their own schemes fruition…"

"And if things go south, you'll be in place to side with dear old dad, and kill or enthrall me on his behalf."

Lara purred over the phone "naturally."

"Figure out where Thomas is being held, then once pops is out the way, I want you to tell Inari everything, let her choose what she's going to be."

There was a pause then Lara asked "that all?"

"Yup"

"Dresden, I don't know if you are mad or genius, but you excite me!"

"All the ladies tell me that. So, your place in an hour?"

"It's a date." She purred again as she hung up.

"Can I ask you something?" Karen asked, looking skeptically over the baby at me.

"We got a little time. Ebenezer, you mind taking the baby while Karen and I dethrone the white king?"

"Hoss, you might need me there to-"

"I need Karen. I got some semblance of a plan and it requires a feminine touch. Plus I don't trust Lara so it would be best to not show up with two men. What'd you need to know Murph?"

"This ritual magic, you once called it a cosmic vending machine. Regular people can just do the dance and someone dies?"

"Yup."

"So what happens when someone publishes a book?

"We have. So have the vampires." Neezer interjected as he tried to take Maggie. She seemed attatched to Karen so he gave her some time.

"Shadow man had one. It was how he learned all his cool tricks, but the idea is get enough in circulation and the spells loose power. It's a lot like the cookies thing."

"God, again with the cookies."

"Well if only I am taking one of your fresh baked cookies a week, and you make a dozen a month, its no big deal, but if 6 or 7 people each take a cookie a week, you'll run out of cookies."

"Got ya. People who get ahold of the cookie jar aren't gonna share." To my nod she continued, "so how did a vacuous porn princess get her claws on one?"

"That's why I think Raith is the cookie dealer."

"What does he have to gain? I like Greed for the old stand by but this is just too far for some dumb money."

"Not greed for money, greed for power. Raith is losing face in the white court. I heard someone was buying up all the major porn companies, I bet you money to doughnuts it's Raith. But Genosa breaks off, defying Raith in a very public way, so Raith needs to show he is still in control so he sends Lara. But Joan said Genosa is always in love. So Lara couldn't do anything."

"I think Tina Turner has a valid question for you."

"Yeah, Love is bad for White Court Vampires. When someone is in love and commits an act of mutual love like marriage, or sex, or something, it hurts! I burned myself on a wedding band once. My vamp vibes might work on a woman in love… but my mind control definitely wont. So Lara couldn't enthrall Genosa."

"MIND CONTROL!" Murph whispered angrily trying not to wake the baby. "That's what you did to me!?"

"Not on purpose, Murph. And I don't actively use it. Besides, apparently I can use mind control on anyone, thrall or not. Hey I'm new to this."

"You get your psychic conduit out of my brain, a.s.a.p.!"

"I totally will when I figure out how." Bob twittered with glee, and then it turned into an all out cackle.

"That's not gonna happen! It's in there, deep. Only true mutual love might get rid of the thing, but at this point any other method runs the risk of brain damage." He giggled some more. I tried not to look at Karen's face.

"Why not just kill Genosa? Why go after the women around him?" Neez asked.

"Cats-paws. Apparently whites hate to be direct. They're like Rube Goldberg machines with sex appeal. That's why Thomas recruited me to solve this curse thing, he figured pops had some hand in it."

"Hoss, how do you keep landing yourself in these bags of snakes?"

"Clean living?"

"We better get a move on then. Is your cat going to eat the baby if I put her on the floor?"

"Uh, good question." I set to work making a comfy spot on the floor for the baby and corralled her in with pillows then Karen put her on her tummy.

"You do know how to take care of a baby, right sir?" Murph asked Neez. He looked offended enough to be an affirmative so we got our battle gear together and went outside. I looked down at the spot Susan must have put the baby and shook my head. Raith first. "You said you had some semblance of a plan, what is it?"

I told her, she kicked me.

"I know, I hate to ask, but it's our only shot. I don't think firepower will be of any use in this one."

"Fine."

"You sure?"

"At least this way I can do something to help."

"You kidding? The image of you gun fighting in your panties will boost my morale for years." She kicked me again, got on her bike, and then slumped. She had an extra helmet, a lipstick red thing that looked perfectly round. I was about to put it on. "What's wrong?"

"Its been a stressful day for me… relationship wise... First the whole Rich and Lisa thing, then… Kincaid."

"Taking your pants off?"

"Yeah, it's been a while since a good looking guy took my pants off."

"It's been since yesterday. When I did it." She snorted. "Kincaid is bad news. He isn't completely human."

"that's the pot calling the kettle a cliché"

"I know… it's just… You deserve a man who's normal, stable, and open minded, but if you really want a bad news, not entirely human guy to tear your pants off, I'm your man." I nodded emphatically.

She eyed me, smiled, and then said, "Get on the bike, bitch." We dawned our helmets and headed north.

Chapter Eight

When we arrived at Chateau Raith, Murphy shivered but maintained her board cop look. "What's the plan?"

"Watch my back, don't start anything, and don't let anyone touch you."

"Wasn't planning on it." Just then a white sedan pulled into the driveway, fishtailed around, missing us and the bike by inches and parallel parked facing the other direction. Murph looked impressed. I swear she had a wild streak running all kinds of havoc in that innocent looking little blond cop facade. Then Lara came out of the drivers seat and strutted over to us.

"Nice look, very Carmen." She flashed me a smile then looked at Karen.

"Ah, you brought your thrall." I winced then looked at Karen.

"Murphy. I'm a friend." She said with a twitching smile. That's Murph for 'call me thrall again and I'll kill you slowly.'

"I can never have too many friends."

"Not yours."

"No of course not. And an officer of the law." Lara curtsied. I was getting mad about this Intel crap. I think Murph was too, but in general, she was angry about a lot of crap today.

"Inari, Bobby, please get inside, let Justine know were out here."

"Justine? She's alive?" I asked as Lara moved to the trunk and popped it open to tie on a red sash with a rapier. "Still Carmen?"

"Less Carmen, more Pirates of Penzance."

"Gilbert and Sullivan, I may never forgive you that."

"How will I find the will to go on?" I rolled my eyes. "On the subject of going on-"

"Harry!" Justine ran to me and threw her arms around my neck. "Thomas! They took him!"

"That's why I'm here. But I guess, Lara thinks you're gonna help us find him." I looked at Lara. She nodded.

"Our kind creates a link after feeding so long on one particular vassal, while some of her energy is inside him, some of his is inside her. It acts as a sort of psychic conduit, as I'm sure you are aware." Lara said, smiling at Karen in a 'I didn't say it, so nya, nya' face.

Justine nodded with resolve and determination. "What do I do?"

"Concentrate, think only of Thomas. Go in a slow circle until he is right in front of you." I advised her. She nodded and closed her eyes she began to spin.

"I feel cold… he's chained to a stone floor… that way." Justine said slowly as she turned.

"The deeps." Lara whispered. "a natural cavern on our property."

"How far?"

"There's a service road, goes behind the groundskeeper cottage."

I heard the front door of the house get kicked open, then thunder and I hit the ground. Ken doll driver worked the pump of his shotgun, and I had enough time to stand again, but couldn't get to Justine in time. Well I was in time to take shot number two to the back. Then I pulled Justine down. Murph had already gotten down and rolled into concealment. Lara slid over the hood of the car and was behind a nice sturdy engine block.

Murph swung out of her cover and took a knee. Our shooter, the driver from last night, fired a rush shot at her, missed her barely. It was cool; Karen had her vest and bike gear on. She took her time, unafraid, and I could feel her crystalline calm as she found where she wanted to be and cut the slack, paused to verify the target, then squeezed the trigger. Driver Ken whipped his head back with a neat new hole in his head where his left eye tear duct was and Murphy put another into his cheekbone and another into his eyebrow for good measure. I think she was going to fire again, but he fell to his knees then his face. The back of his head looked like one big exit wound. She ran and skid over to me then felt inside my coat.

"You healed already?"

"No, my coat is magically bulletproofed." I said, turning pale and maybe a little luminescent. My eyes reflected light like in those night nature shows.

"Do you need-"

"NO!" I said reflexively. "No, sorry. Even if I did, it shouldn't be from you. I might kill you."

"I thought you were dead. You said a shot to the heart would still kill you so-" she bit back emotion then looked at the guard. Inari and Bobby returned and Inari screamed. "Now there's a fatality on the scene."

"What fatality?" Lara said. Murphy looked at me with something like disgust, and I shrugged.

"How do you want to play it Murph? With a mountain of paperwork and therapy, or jut pretend there was no guard, shootout, or sketchy situation involving you in body armor in the middle of the night on some porn mogul's lawn."

She whimpered. She hated therapy and hated paperwork more, but she hated lies the most. Now the question was what did she want to lie about, how and why she was there or ever being there to begin with. "Damn it. What fatality? Now lets move before I have time to think about it."

"Acting without thinking is my specialty! Lara, wanna squeeze on the bike?"

Lara laughed, Murph gave me a dirty look. "I'll get there faster on my own. First, I must clean this mess."

Murph and I headed north till we found a white picket fence with a gate and while I opened the gate Murph spoke. "She'll turn on us."

"If we look like were loosing. So let's not loose. You cool with the vigilante thing?" I asked, standing where I could look into her face without her turning. She smiled sadly then nodded.

"Get on the bike bitch."

A little way down the road we got trapped in a game of chicken with a limo. I took my staff from its holster in her motorcycle and held it like a lance, and I was a jousting knight. "Faster! Faster, mighty steed!"

Murph gave me a look but revved the hog. It gained speed quickly while I channeled power into my staff. "What are you doing?" Murph asked.

"Faster, don't turn!" I answered. She screamed and cut loose, and purple lights streaked around us in a corona.

"This is insane!" Murphy called out. The Harley continued to accelerate.

"Forzare!" I called as the force flew ahead of us and plowed into the charging limo, flipping it over our heads. I watched them crash then relaxed against Murphy's back as she laughed into the wind. "What?"

"I think you were right about the vibrator thing." We came to the end of the road, where a small European cottage style mansion stood. No doubt the so-called grounds keeper cottage, then got off the bike. "I don't see any caves."

I sniffed the air making a gesture for her to follow. It was feral and drew on my energy but I found the cave by smelling out incents and three sexy angry women. We got half way there when I felt Murphy's alarm and turned to see she was gone. When I turned back, he was there all in black, holding Murphy hostage. "Drop your weapons, and your shield."

"Hey pops. Doesn't the prodigal son get like a goat or something?"

"If I had wanted you to return, but as it is, I would rather you leave this world for eternity. Put your hands behind your back."

"No." Raith dug the knife into Murphy's ribs. The Kevlar took most of the blade but I was sure she was still in pain. "Okay, I was just trying to rebel a little. Making up for lost time before I kick it." Bodyguard Barbie came out of the shadows with shackles for my hands and feet then led me after Raith carrying Murph toward the smell of incents. "Killing me with the entropy curse at point blank range eh?"

"Indeed."

"Hey, I've heard a lot about you: Kiss of death, enslaving women, spells sliding off you like butter on a hot skillet, superhuman badassery all around, but you ain't doin any of that… as a matter of fact, I figured someone powerful as you would be going ham on some wardens right now, but here you are letting three mortal tarts use you to get back at an old flame."

"Watch your tongue!"

"Why? You're killing me anyway. Hell I'm starting to wonder why you ain't kissed me already, or Murphy there."

"Would you like that boy?"

"Raith and Murphy sitting in a tree-"

"Silence!" Raith squeezed Murphy and a pained sound came out with an audible pop.

"The way I figure, mom got ya where it hurts. Your ability to feed. No more enslaving women, no more kiss of death. And I bet I'm not the only one to notice."

"Insolent, just like your brother, and just like your mother!"

"It'll cost you to kill us, even with a ritual."

"No matter. Tonight you and your brother will die, and the blood line curse your mother cast will be broken." He looked at me intently, then a smirk, just like Thomas's mischievous smirk, just like mine, spread across his face. "And such a thoughtful boy. My youngest son had brought me my first snack."

We arrived in the Raith Deeps and as Raith carried Murph ahead of me, I couldn't bear the silence. "Murph? Hanging in there?"

"I'm feeling a bit repressed, and I'm about to go off!"

"Good. I enjoy defiant women. Alexander the Great once told me, it is more pleasurable to conquer than to rule. I feel inclined to agree. Defiant women can be taken, and taken, and taken before they break."

"How's your side?" I asked Karen.

"A little prick like this? Its nothing." She sneered at Raith. He threw her into the wall, she tried to strike, he countered, then pinned her, knife to throat, his body between her legs.

"Warrior women. All you know is how to struggle against another's body. You all forget the needs of your own." He brushed his fingers down her forearm and she whimpered, fluttering her eyelashes. He smirked "I've taken thousands like you; Women fraught against their urges. You were made to feel desire, and I was made to exploit it." He brushed his lips over her throat as he spoke, and did something to Murph that made her try to kick off the wall then just arched futilely against him. She made a sort of crying noise and he laughed. "Now imagine what I'll be able to do to you once I've regained my power." She tried again to get out and away from him, but he found her struggles amusing. Then he jabbed his thumb into the wound in her side and she bucked from the pain. He threw her roughly to the ground then stood over her. "I can feel your desire. I can tell you're tired of being disciplined, of being the good girl. You want to live for yourself rather than serve others. A part of you wants to stay with me and feel the pleasure I just gave. A part of you wants the pain too." He grabbed her by the hair, "admit it!"

"Go Fuck yourself!" she spat. I could feel her fear and a sick heat of need in equal parts. I could tell he was right, that she did want to be punished, and yet she really wanted to have another body with her, making her feel good. He pulled her behind him, using her hair as a lead then tossed her onto the ground once we got to the main chamber. It looked like well…

"Gotta say, Pops, I dig the décor; kind of like Casa Erotica's remake of Arabian Nights, complete with evil harem. What happened to ex Genosa number 2?"

"She tried to poison you with a blow dart then directed the spell at my daughter. She was eager to absolve herself-"

"So you sacrificed her this morning."

"And it was satisfying!" Madge said from her place by a stone table where Thomas was strewn over a sort of large-scale lemon juicer. Trixie was there, but in a sort of drug induced stupor, no doubt on standby to be sacrificed next.

"Indeed. It will be gratifying to destroy the wizard that strikes fear in the hearts of so many of the red court, to restore one of my greatest mortal assets under my control, and be rid of my sons, once and for all." Raith grumbled as he brushed Madge's cheek. He turned his eyes to Murphy, and she shivered though she didn't look up. "And now, I'll have influence with the mortal authorities." He smiled. "Take off your socks and shoes little one." She shivered again then reluctantly removed her socks and shoes. "Now throw them into the quarry." Murph was close enough that she didn't have to throw them far. "Good. You please me, little one."

Raith heard the sound of sirens but didn't react quite the way I would have expected. It was as if he knew even that was going to happen. "A wizard came to me not long ago and warned me of this day. He said he had witnessed you defeat me time and time again. He warned me not to leave you unattended this time. I gather, this was how you wanted to distract me?" My eyes went wide. There was a wizard who could see the future giving my enemies winning lotto numbers? "but I will not fail this time. Madge, be a dear and begin the ceremony. Little police woman, come to me." Raith said triumphantly as he returned to his throne. Murph sat still where she was. I could tell she was calculating her next move. She got strangely unafraid and Raith felt it too. I had to run distraction and give Murph more time. When he stood I just started running at the mouth, not even sure I was being coherent.

"Leave her alone! So help me, when I get free of this, I'll kill you slowly." I threatened idly. "You haven't seen what I can do. What kind of man I am. I will kill you Father."

"My sons: random consequence of desire and response chemistry, and biology. There is no deeper meaning to relation. I've lived centuries and helped build an empire. I've crumbled civilizations, and now you, spittle of my seed into some mortal plaything thinks he can stand against me?" He sneered.

"We value family, father. My brother, and sisters, and I. We believe in love."

"Of course they think that. I raised them that way. It is a simple and convenient way to control them. Love is poison to us. There is no love in any of our kind; it is an illusion. You think I care about any of you?"

"Not even Inari? So what's going to happen once the curse is done? You gonna rape Inari into a good little puppet, and what happens to Lara?" Raith just glared at me then I got an idea. Duh. Dear old dad was loosing his power, but I've always frightened the white counsel because I had too much power, as a wizard, and probably as a vampire too. I kept my mouth running but reached out with my senses. We were two supernaturally sexy men, in a cave full of mortal women. First was Trixie. Not my number one pic, but I already had hooks in her, and she could run interference… then there was Madge. She would be hard, but Raith didn't enthrall her, from what I could tell. My senses told me that Barbie was a thrall somehow, so she would be most difficult.

"Must have been rough, living like that for so long. Never using your reserves, playing it careful." Trixie, in her drug-induced stupor had crawled sensually over to Thomas and began unshackling his hands and feet. Raith was so focused on our conversation, he hardly noticed. But he did notice me making with the sexiness, and Murph was kind of… rolling around, enjoying the texture of the rug and silk pillows. So that's why sexy ladies are associated with cats, she looked like Mister on catnip.

"Shoot him in the leg." Raith ordered. Barbie didn't let him finish the sentence before my ears rang from the thunder of the weapon, and my leg lit up in pain. Then I felt it in my gut. The ceremony was coming to a close, and a dark familiar feeling came over me. I felt it once before when Justin DuMorne called it after me. And this was the energy behind the Molochio.

Madge pronounced every syllable a specific way as she called him by name, "He Who Walks Behind!" but as she drove the knife down, she had no Thomas to carve, instead she was alone in the circle and needed blood to complete the rite, so she dutifully stabbed herself in the gut, and from her blood, boiled the grotesque form of that monster that haunted my shadows for so much of my teen and young adult years. With the circle broken, he was free to do as he pleases, and demons have an order to things. His first prerogative was to finish off the practitioner who called him, then he would rampage the cave, but the ceremony was to bring him to our realm for one unfortunate death, so because he was a creature of habit, and turned his power on Madge, I had no reason to fear him, this time. So why was I still so afraid?

Madge writhed on the floor being torn apart from the inside, "HELLS HOLLY STARS AND SHIT BELLS!" I swore, trying to inch my chained ass away from the low purple fog around the ceremony circle. Thomas threw himself after Raith, and I heard a thumping sound like someone falling softly to the ground. Lara unlocked my chains and curtsied then drew her sword. Thomas was fast but Raith was faster, and the two were beautiful silver luminescent forms as they punched, and kicked one and other. Raith landed a kick in Thomas's gut, then another across his chin, and Thomas landed near the edge of the chasm. Lara approached, and Raith turned to address her.

"Lara, what are you doing here?"

"Claiming what's mine, father."

Raith sneered but soon he was as doped up as Trixie, by the looks of him. I felt a strong pull to Lara, and Thomas groaned. "Harry, we better get out of here." Lara helped him to his feet, and then began to undress. Thomas grabbed Trixie by the arm as I picked up Karen, bridal carry, and we made way for the entrance. I turned for a moment to look at Madge, her face stretched over 'his' form. Thomas opted to grab Barbie as well, and hurry out.

"I remember thee, mortal." 'Madge' said. "I am returned, and we have unfinished business." But I didn't stick around to let anything happen. I got Murph out to her bike and she was still out of it for a while, then Thomas dropped Trixie by me and gave me a wink, and hefted Barbie into the groundskeeper's cottage. Trixie and Murphy pressed me between their bodies and began kissing anything close to their lips as if they were going to die if they didn't kiss every inch of me they could, Trixie working from where she clung to my leg, Murph from my chest.

"What's going on? Murph? What the hell? Thomas! What's happening?" I tried to calm down and turn down the vamp vibes but I was still weak from my near miss with the scourge and the bullet in my leg was still actively healing. Murph removed her shirt then her Kevlar, revealing a sensible solid flesh colored bra that was still darker than her. Trixie was in some lingerie and a white silk robe with red embroidery at the bottom. I backed away, tripped, of all things, and fell on the grass. They got my shirt over my head, then my under shirt, then were working on my belt. I put my foot on Murphy's chest and half elbowed Trixie, then rolled out the way and ran for the cottage.

Thomas was enjoying Barbie at the moment. "This is a horror movie that forgot to make a masked murderer. Instead there's a masochistic cop chick and a doped up dong-jockey chasing me!" Thomas stopped, much to Barbie's protest and walked me through calling off the come hither. A few minutes later I had an angry cop chick and an unconscious dong-jokey outside the door. I let them in, and we all slept until Lara woke us up with Justine and breakfast late in the morning.

"Brothers." She greeted Thomas and me.

I gulped. "So, uh, what happened?"

"Father and i… Came to terms. While he remains the figurehead of the white court, all obligations within will be under my command."

"You enthralled him?" Thomas blurted over his café au lait and grapefruit.

"Please, dear brother, it sounds so abrasive when you call it that. But yes. When my suspicions were confirmed, and I realized he held no allegiance to any of his children, I understood I had no reason to owe him any of the same, however, the white court is not a royalty, if he was overthrown there would be friction, and power struggle for the throne. People may still challenge him, but at least I will rule in the mean time, and there will be some semblance of peace. However, to maintain appearances, I'm afraid I must exile you, dear brother."

"What?" Thomas spat. "Just like that?"

"You did quite publicly defy father. Such an act can't be overlooked."

"The twins put you up to this?"

"Madrigal was quite animate about it, Madeline didn't care either way."

"And I'm sure Madrigal demanded to be given Justine."

"Yes, but I would rather eat my own arm off than give that twit dear Justine. I assure you, she will be safe, under my protection." Lara put a hand on Justine's then Justine put her hand on Thomas, and it burned him. She jerked her hand away and gasped. Thomas left the table to the bathroom.

"Poor romantic fool." Lara said as she left the table. "He doesn't belong with us, Harry. Nor do you or Inari. You deserve better than our lives." She curtsied and took her leave.

Justine turned to me with saddened eyes. "I shouldn't have fallen for him." I got up and hugged her. She teared up a little but for Thomas she was always strong. "Don't fall in love Harry. If you do, and she loves you back… it can kill you." I gulped.

"What girl's gonna fall for me? I live in a basement with a cat, have no money, and even with supernatural come hither, most women think I'm creepy." She giggled.

"But you're sweet, caring, honest, and selfless… and lonely." She put a hand on my cheek, then passed me my cell and Thomas's and got up to leave but stopped, looking at the door to where Thomas was and came back to kiss my cheek then ran out.

Murphy sat quietly munching on melon balls that had been drizzled with something that smelled minty and were plopped onto either frozen yogurt or ice cream. She kicked her feet that swung from the bar stool then finally began to speak. "Sorry, Harry. I wasn't much use to you after all."

"We had a good plan, but we didn't figure there would be a clairvoyant third party involvement. You did good Murph"

"I wasn't acting Harry. I really did want-"

"I know." I cut her off.

"Damn it, Harry. This psychic connection thing we got-"

"I'm sorry about it Murph!"

"Let me finish! It's not all that bad. I could feel Raith worming around in my head but he couldn't get control because you were in there. And remember when Kravos tried to give me nightmares? At first, I was able to fight it, because your psychic-whatsit was there. And when you were trying to play rc controller to Trixie's motorboat, it felt really good. All the wiggling in my head Raith tried just went away. It was embarrassing but…"

"There may be benefits."

"Yeah… I think we should work on them. Flex our mind muscles."

"I'm on board." I flipped through all the texts and found one requesting a rendezvous with Genosa that evening at a hotel. There was a whole thread between my phone and Kincaid's he was reminding me I had until Tuesday to pay his ridiculous bill, but I answered that I'd transfer the funds electronically at that very moment and asked the routing and account number, then he confirmed he received it, then I said pleasure doing business. I looked at the door as Thomas came out of the bathroom. His face where Justine touched him had her hand print in pink, healing burns. I looked at my hand that had been charred and it was still scarred.

"You need more?" Karen offered.

"Not from you. I might kill you this time."

"Trixie then." Murph looked offended.

"Ew. She's hot but-"

"That body guard is still here too." Thomas suggested. I rolled my eyes.

"But you already fed on her. So she would die too."

"So Trixie." Thomas shrugged. I sighed then reluctantly went to the room where Trixie snored. It was actually kind of cute. She woke up, startled then looked up at me blearily through sleepy eyes, then smiled warmly and crooked her finger at me. I moved slowly and reluctantly, despite the fact that a hot redheaded A list porn star was beckoning me to her bower. I moved so slowly she started breathing heavily from anticipation. Then our lips met. I felt her addiction to prescription drugs, her love for wine, and the kind of high she got from combining the two, and how she got into porn because she couldn't enjoy sex without an audience. But she was enjoying the hell out of me with no one else watching.

I fed, heartily, and then we regrouped at my apartment so I could relieve Neez of his duty and Thomas got to meet his niece. Murph let me know later that Trixie and I both got off, I laughed, without any charges. My burns and all the gunshot wounds all went away without a trace, so Thomas, little Maggie, Mouse and I went to the wedding reception for Arturo, and his new bride, Joan.

The films were a success, with the revolutionary new moves and angles suggested by Joan, and the romantic themes of love that built up to the point words could no longer convey feelings, as Arturo had always wanted to produce, the Porn industry was blown away with the premiere. Giselle was at the wedding party, as well as Emma and Trixie who clung to me like cholesterol on arteries. Jake convinced Emma to let him back into their children's lives. The tension I sensed in him was apparently about acting with his ex whom he still harbored a flame for. I was glad things turned out well for them.

The final film was altered to be about the curse that hindered the other two. There were even scenes of me rushing to the rescue and laying down that ward the last day. They had filmed some scenes to tie in the mysterious stagehand saving them and Lara played a sexy villain who wanted Jake all to herself and made misfortune follow Emma until he was hers. And Me? Oh they never figured out where I came from or why I was there. And I was gone as mysteriously as I had arrived. It was a nice twist, though I wished that my debut to the porn industry would be in a group on with Murphy, Lara, and Trixie rather than shaky shots of me running across the camera, throwing people out of the way, and taking a pipe in the chest. When asked my performance name I said "Shvonz Zubrick" Arturo laughed but a month later I got a copy of a movie with Shvonz Zubrick in the credits. Bob was thrilled to know a porn star.

I walked into Karen's office on paperwork day, wearing a nice business outfit in white and grey and whispered "silencium" as I closed the door. The walls and ceiling and floor shimmered a moment then Karen looked up, frustrated, and disheveled and arched an annoyed eyebrow. I bowed, and produced a single red rose tied with babies breath in a red bow, and passed it to her. She leaned back in her chair and sighed as she took it like she expected it to hurt.

"Where's Maggie?"

"With her new Manny."

"Many?"

"Live-in-Man-Nanny. Thomas." To this, she snorted.

"Come to be cute and distract me from paperwork?"

"I came to see a woman about her pants." I looked intensely at her, so she could feel the heat, and busied herself with fixing her hair and the piles of papers on her desk. I considered throwing them all over the place with passionate flair, but I wouldn't survive such a thing so I helped her clean off her desk, then before the moment was completely ruined I pulled her tight to my body and kissed her so passionately, I thought I smelled smoke. Then, of course there was the small matter of ripping some pants off. And I was rough. Rougher than I would have preferred but apparently just enough for my freaky little cop friend. Nobody heard us thanks to the little spell I cast on the office; it lasted until a couple sunrises later so everyone wondered what I did to make Karen so quiet. Heh. She was also really nice the rest of the day, which was disturbing to some, like O'Toole. Double Heh.

So I returned home to my big brother, my little girl, and my new puppy that was already doubled in size, and growing…


	2. Chapter 2

REVAMP DEAD BEAT

Have you ever felt so happy with your life that you felt afraid, you were too high, and you would come crashing down below rock bottom soon? I blinked my eyes at the alarm clock that flipped on to let us know in a bright somewhat raspy female voice that there was a traffic collision on the freeway, so expect delays, and as direct result of said collision there were also a couple detours. Then she reminded us that a new exhibit was opening at the Field Museum. The morning talk show theme played and two old but energetic male voices greeted us and began prattling on about things they heard on the news, making wisecracks, and funny sound effects. I hit the snooze and the radio ceased. I looked down at the adorable blond resting her cheek on my chest and she turned her eyes back up at me and smiled tiredly but with a hint of mischief.

"I better get ready for work." She pouted as she climbed over me and sat on my lower abs so she could reach my lips for a pouty playful kiss.

"You don't sound too thrilled." I smirked, enjoying the affection, and the soft naked flesh touching mine.

She shimmied lower, and though my body told her otherwise, I wasn't quite ready for round five. "I'd rather spend all day, doing what we did last night. That would thrill me, very much."

And kill you; I thought gravely, but instead I smiled. "Why don't we just stay in, then? Oh, or maybe go on our first date?" I wiggled my eyebrows, and she snorted.

"I've never played hooky before, I'm not starting now. I was thinking about taking some vacation time. I always get glum in the winter. We should go somewhere hot, just the three of us… like Hawaii." She said, focusing those beautiful blue eyes on my lips like Mister looks at his cat toy. I smiled. The thought of being on a beautiful beach with a sexy blond and my baby girl getting to play in the sand and see turtles and dolphins was exciting. The alarm clock switched on the radio again, and this time the middle of some new rock/dub step song blared in my ear. Karen laughed, and turned the alarm off, then kissed me, biting my lips a little, and slid out of bed to take her morning shower. I watched her move, and she arched a brow at me in a 'you joining me or what?' fashion, and of course the answer was duh.

Clean, and dressed in blue jeans and white shirt, with almost James Dean style brushed back hair, I made the bed, and woke the little princess from the spare bed and got her ready too. I made her bed while she clung to Mouse's fur, letting the massive gray beast walk her to the living room where Murph passed her a teething biscuit, and kissed her head. When it was time to leave I loaded Maggie into her cute little pink and brown, cupcakes themed car seat in the back of the Blue Beetle and Murph sat on her Hog watching, waiting for my lips to be free again. She communicated such with our improving cpl. I got Maggie situated then returned to Karen to make out on the running bike, which fed me all kinds of delicious energy, then we had to break off, if Karen had any hope of being to work on time.

When I got little Maggie to our apartment, I first suspected some sort of struggle took place, but the sounds of a woman in my room eased that fear. Instead I was angry. I put Maggie down and began picking up the mess, and soon the woman in question in a short white cotton tee and nothing else, came out to get a glass of water and chug it down, then saw the pile of her clothes that I amassed and collected her belongings. She bid me good morning then recognized me. "Harry?"

"Hey Angie." I said trying not to sound annoyed. Maggie found a silvery running shoe from under the couch and tottered it over to show me. I passed it to Angie and picked up my princess.

"You haven't been jogging at the park lately. You finally settle down?" she asked.

"No, but I got knocked up. This is Maggie." I introduced her as Angie put her jogging shorts on.

"Hi, sweetheart." She laughed, and then shook Maggie's hand. "So you live here with…"

"Thomas. Yeah, he's my brother, been crashing here for a while."

"I can definitely see the resemblance." She smiled looking me up and down; getting thoughts then moved sensually back to the bedroom. I finished tidying up my apartment then put Maggie back down on the center rug among the order and filled Mouse and Mister's bowls. Mister came out of nowhere to eat drink and paw the door, so I let him out. I rummaged through the fridge but found little to nothing in it, then Thomas snuck up on me during my calming the rage mantra and informed me there was no beer.

"Yeah, I noticed." I snapped back at him. I sighed then shook my head. "I also couldn't help but notice, you forgot to feed the animals, and wrecked the living room."

"Lizzie was pretty vicious last night."

"Angie. Her name is Angie."

"I thought Angie was the florist…"

"Flora is the florist. Her mother was a Hippie. Lizzie, was the cop that thought we were having a domestic, and ended up joining in. I have to see her when I go to the precinct sometimes. It's embarrassing. She probably thinks something's wrong with me, just hiding in the subbasement while a guy is having a loud intense foursome in the other room. How do you even please three women at the same time? They were all screaming at once." I shook my head. "I'll go shopping in a bit, watch the rug rat while I grab the mail?"

"Of course." Thomas drawled.

I picked up the mail, but before I could return inside, Karen showed up on her hog. "Got something weird for ya."

"Oh, rapture." I gave my best Stimpy impression, flipping through the mail, splitting it into bills, junk, and panties.

"Somebody's in a bad mood. What happened in the last hour? I thought you'd be on cloud nine all day. I will. Even with the masticated corpse littering my highway." She gave me that satisfied look Angie gave me earlier. To my raised eyebrow she knew to explain. "That collision on the interstate this morning was bogus; it was a package truck, moving artifacts to the museum for the new display. Something with claws tore it all up, truck, packages, everything. The driver looks like he was half eaten."

She got quiet while Thomas walked Angie out of the apartment, kissed her, then sauntered over to us. "Couldn't stay away, I see." He said as greeting to Murphy.

"Wasn't that the girl you said liked to do it at the park?" she pointed at Angie but looked at me with a teasing grin. "I wish I could have arrested you for that. It's the last item on Booking Bingo I need to get a Bingo." She said to me. I rolled my eyes.

"Booking Bingo? You cops know how to have a good time, combining work with lame matching games, genius."

"Hey, the winner gets a week paid vacation. And it's really hard because as crazy as Chicago gets, some crimes are hard to come by."

"Well next time you're working, I'll be sure to get indecent as publicly as possible… wait, you mean, Harry's had her too?" Thomas asked, surprised. "So you do prowl for food some times."

"I actually run because I like it, not because I like the girls who also run. Aren't you leaving a child unattended somewhere?" I snapped angrily at him. He rushed back to the apartment and I shook my head flipping to the last envelope. Murph noticed it too, there was no postage, the handwriting was obviously pen but so precise it could have been typed and it merely said my name and address. I used my wizard senses to feel it out, though malevolent, it had no traps or hexes so I opened it and found surveillance photos of Karen during our raid on the Black court the previous year. We looked at each other, and then I flipped to a note requesting a meeting with me at my grave hugs and kisses, Mavra.

The red court bought me a plot in the Graceland cemetery, where it stood open, and empty with a headstone that read 'Harry Dresden, he died doing the right thing'. I felt something else in the envelope and pulled out a lock of Murphy's hair. She touched her head and frowned, she had been growing her hair out at my request, not for anything superficial, but this exact reason. If she went to a stylist she would be leaving bits of herself unguarded in a pile where anyone could take it. But these days her hair was long enough to cover her breasts, which made seeing her naked a bit more thrilling. I looked down at it, brittle, and pale, over a year old, so maybe it was from before I started my physical relationship with her. Mavra probably let me raid the scourge just so she had a bit of blackmail on her for later. Damn her.

"Well I got until sundown before I have to meet with Mavra alone. Want me to check out the clawed up truck?" I said after thinking about it a bit.

"Yeah, but-"

"Murph, I got it. Us movie monsters like to adhere to a code. She says she wishes to have a peaceful conversation, with me alone, I am obliged to do so, and she is obliged to remain peaceful." I interrupted her. She was worried about me, and knew I was worried about her.

"Don't you dare put yourself in danger on my account." Murph said fiercely. I nodded my head toward the apartment and she begrudgingly followed. The apartment went from managed chaos, to order and fresh pine scent. My cinnamon Candles were lit, and Maggie had a gingerbread jack-o-lantern in her mouth.

"Lets go over the case. You want me to come with, and scope it out?"

"The truck is in SI impound lot since we had to get it off the highway before the morning rush. Stallings and a couple archaeologists who were here for the big event are cataloging everything, to see what was taken or damaged." She took off her leather jacket, which had the zipper off to the side like a German military number.

The utility of her fashion statement was that she could stick entire files in the inside pocket without folding them. I knew a fashion designer who was inspired by Murphy, and made her a leather jacket better than most body armor with Kevlar lining, elbow padding, secret pockets, and it looked damn good on her too. The designer also happened to be inspired by my vamp vibes, but she didn't make me any jackets.

The file had detailed notes and an eyewitness account along with some photos of the damage. I looked it all over and looked back up to Murphy who was obviously still upset about the blackmail. "I'll be okay. I'll bring Mouse, all right?"

"No! I want to be there!"

"You can't."

"I've had enough of this chivalry crap." Murph stood up and paced to Maggie, flopping onto the floor to pick up one of her toys, a book with some random letters of the alphabet, complete with examples of things and textures that start with that letter. The damn book made noises too. Something inside the soft pillowy pages made the most obnoxious crinkling sound like balling up newspaper but loud. Murph opened the book to G where it said good, girl, green and goop and had an oblong shape of soft rubber glued in place. "What's that, Maggie?" Maggie pointed and made goo-goo sounds then said "goooooop?" Murph pointed at the word good, then the word girl while saying "good girl" then patted Maggie on the head. She flipped to another page and did a similar exercise while I focused on the case.

"I'm thinking ghoul, since he ate the driver, or most of him, the witness interrupted him. He sneaks into the truck, looks for something, cant find it, makes noise, driver pulls over, ghoul eats the driver, gets caught, runs away."

"Yeah, I figured it was along those lines. So what do I need to know about ghouls?"

"Well that assassin from Wal-Mart was one. Hard to kill, supernaturally ugly, but human like, and eats humans, dead or alive. Usually they like their meat dead, but a lot of them are hired guns, and tend to use eating as a murder weapon and means of disposing the body."

"Perfect. So how can I take one down?"

"Short of chopping it's head off, if you shoot it in the heart that might work, but not with your little .22. Think .38 and up."

"I'll let the boys know. So any way you can track it down while I figure out what it was up to?"

"Sure if he left anything behind."

"How bout saliva?" Murph nodded at the file folder, it did have a plastic evidence bag with viscous clear pink fluid.

"I'll let you know in a second." I went to the lab and did my tracking spell using a compass. It no longer pointed north now it pointed to the Field Museum. I looked at Karen, who drove my Beetle while I directed her, and the two of us took a look around. I must have passed the same spot twelve times before I sat on the ground and scratched my head. "It must be above or below this spot!" I looked around and spotted doors that read employees only, then hopped to my feet and strode to the doors. A security guard approached us but Murph flashed her badge and they let us be. We got to a labyrinth of halls and offices, and cold storage spaces, and then came across a room that had additional security and Stallings. The compass started spinning uncontrollably, basically saying I should see it but all I saw were two guards, Stallings, a uniform cop, and two archaeologists. Anyone but Stallings and Murphy could have been the ghoul.

"Stallings, a word, in private?" Murph understood too, and took her partner away to let him know our suspect was likely one of these people. They returned and did the reasonable cop thing and asked for everyone's contact information, then Murph told me to get a move on, and check any other leads.

"Sure thing, boss." I said with a nervous smile. I didn't like leaving Murphy alone with a cannibal but she wanted me gone so she could do her job properly. I went grocery shopping, got more baby supplies, and found a cute little baby's first toilet from the same manufacturer of her car seat, and dug through the different options till I found the pink and brown one that had a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting and arms and legs wearing a tiara, sitting on a throne illustrated on the lid. There was a little arm for toilet paper, and flusher on a fake tank, and it said on the box that it sang every time you flushed. So cute!

I brought my bounty home to Thomas spoiling her again, allowing her to sit in his lap and eat spaghetti out of his bowl. Her little fist was crammed halfway into one cheek with the front of her dress stained with red sauce, and noodles still escaping her mouth despite her best efforts. She picked them off her dress and shoved them back in her mouth. I sighed, "Use some forks, you animals. And why do we have bibs if neither of you will use them?"

I left to assemble Maggie's new toilet in the bathroom. She walked in when I was about done and said, "pee-pee?" "Sure is. It's your toilet, just for you, princess. Want to try it out, while I clean you up?" I took her clothes and sat her on the play potty and gathered her new clothes then returned to see she actually used it. I cheered then she got to flush it, and she wiggled a little dance to the music, and I already knew I would want the toilet to die soon. I put the next ill-fated garment on her, another white dress. It was almost all she had, as poorly meant as it was to make white clothing for babies in the first place, but Lara showered her with white dresses and at the moment, I sorely needed to do laundry so white gowns it was. I put a bib on her for good measure, one I found that said 'little ass kicker' from the walking dead, then released her back to whatever frivolity Thomas had in store for her.

Mouse and I snuck into the cemetery after hours. The sun was going down, and I noticed the statue of a little girl that was supposed to be near my grave was conspicuously not there. I sat on my headstone, hoping nothing spooked me into falling in. I heard Mavra, a short distance away, arguing with a man in hushed voices. I crept as close as I dared and listened in.

"Delay me, no further, and be gone, wizard." Mavra said as she moved toward me.

"Things have changed, the cop was supposed to be in Hawaii, right now, that has never changed before. He will be more formidable with his thrall still in town." The wizard looked like a common mortal; in a Connecticut State University ball cap, a brown leather jacket, and blue jeans. He had gray hair and a salt and pepper bit of scruff, but otherwise looked about my age and Germanic. He was somewhere between Thomas and my height, and skinny, but I couldn't see his face well. "You don't know what its like, living the same 20 years over and over. I go back and change things, but it all just finds its way back on track. You're my last hope. I can't relive this Samhain another time. This time, Dresden must die."

"Then dispatch him yourself. I want him alive. I want him an ally."

"But he killed your lady." The yank argued.

"Bianca was corrupted by the same vile energy that stakes claim on you; ambition beyond your capability. You cannot succeed because you don't understand the forces that you fool with. You mean to alter Fate, but that cannot be done." Mavra swatted at him like a fly then moved sinuously toward my grave. I retreated from where she could see me then acted like I was just showing up to our meeting.

She tossed a single white lily into my grave and looked up at me. "You are late."

"Traffic." I excused myself.

"Would you like to know how I survived?"

"Nah, I figured you put your Macbeth getup on another black court and did your ventriloquist act."

"It's true. I was never there." She smirked. "And the photographs and the hair?"

"Give me a break. You had surveillance cameras set up all over the joint, and the hair was from four years ago, when Murphy went through a punk ass phase and cut her hair super short. We had the werewolves distracting us while you set up shop then started messing with the local wild afterlife."

"You are a great detective." She smiled, and it would have probably been charming had her skin not been dry and pallid with some sort of mold collecting at her hairline and in her ears. I shuddered. Her yellow teeth had cracks in them; the gums were receded and spotted with black while the rest was a deep red. Her lips were like Everest chapped, and her eyes were filmed over and one had a cataract.

"As much as I enjoy the banter thing, I'd like to get some sleep some day, can we get on with our meeting, or are you so lonely you felt the need to blackmail me for conversation?"

"Young immortals are always so impatient. It takes a century or two to realize they aren't human, and thusly need not worry about the passage of time, or even the necessity of sleep." Mavra mused. "But as you wish, we shall embrace brevity." Her posture changed, she lost the lazy grin, and looked me dead in the eyes. "Find the word of Kemmler." Then she turned and stalked to where she had argued with the Yank.

"Hold up! That's it? What the hell does that mean?" Mavra paused and turned back to me. "What's the word of Kemmler?"

"A trail."

"To what?"

"Power."

"And you want it?" she paused then smiled.

"Yes, but before you tell me to go to hell, remember, I still have plenty of photos of your thrall, and another lock of her hair. I will have the mortal protector of the people convicted of murder, and her defense will make her sound like a madwoman." She laughed a dry empty laugh.

"You bitch!" Mouse and I took stances of aggression, and I could feel an involuntary fire rise within me and build at my temples.

"Watch yourself, child. I have ordered a third party unaware of the envelopes contents to deliver it to the authorities should I not call a stop order on the morning of November first. You have until then to provide me with the word of Kemmler. Meet me at this spot before the sun rises that day, and I will destroy what I have of your little friend." I gritted my teeth and she left in a theatric wisp of green smoke. A photo of Murphy with purple flames ablaze on its face fell before me, when Mouse stopped snarling at the darkness I picked up the photo. It had a phone number scorched into it.

Mouse and I hurried home, which was harder to do without the mound of gravel I used to sneak into the cemetery. I tossed the dog over the fence and tapped into the copious amount of energy Murphy amiably and vigorously provided me that very morning, to leap over the tall pointy fence in a single bound. As soon as we got back, I checked in my bedroom to find Thomas sprawled across the whole thing with Maggie on his chest, a towel soaking up her drool and doubling as a pillow, and a quilt Marion Murphy knitted for her in Neapolitan colors draped over her, from her shoulders to Thomas's knees. I dawned my wizard robe then made my way down to my lab and let Bob complain again about the Brownies invading the Lab with their scrub brushes and Fairy pine sol.

Things were neatly arranged on the shelves that I built into the wall nearest the entrance, and Bob was polished and sat at a low shelf in the back of the tidy lab flanked by candles in suggestively curved candlesticks that I was given by an African American artist who liked to use her African heritage to influence her art pieces. The candle sticks were carved from ebony wood and to a dirty mind like mine or Bob's they resembled large breasted and doubly large reared women holding the candles in pots, sitting on their knees, curving their backs backward. It wasn't an exact image; if you looked at it from the wrong angle you wouldn't get it. There was a similarly suggestive set of bookends holding his romance novels in place, miss matched with plain functional silver book ends on either end of his shelf so that he was the centerpiece and had a balanced symmetrical accumulation of African fertility goddesses and romance novels on either side. The artist of course, seemed plenty fertile herself, and provided me with quite a bit of energy. The statues were things she made just for me, seeing all my books and candles. Back then I didn't have a preternatural cleaning crew to order my belongings.

"You seem conflicted, Harry. You're positively glowing yet you seem wretched." He gasped. "Did you kill the cop chick? Oh, what a waste. Her ass could arouse benumbed poets to ascend from their graves and transcribe elegies."

"Okay, wow, but no. And a poet you are not. You use to belong to that badass Necromancer, Kemmler right?"

"Don't remind me. Why, he's not back again is he?" Bob managed to appear to have widened his eyes and shift them back and forth while scooting against the wall.

"No, I got a job to find the word of Kemmler."

"Bad idea Harry. Tell whoever asked you to find it, they're better off dead."

"It's Mavra, she kind of beat me to the punch line on that one." Bob hissed. "What'd he do?"

"Try both world wars, Dachau and Auschwitz, and before that, he toyed with the bubonic plague in Russia some time in the 1700s…. 1770… no matter, he's bad. Bad. Bad. Bad." Bob's head shook.

"Why?"

"His mommy never disciplined him as a child? The man was broken in the head. It took the whole white council, seniors and wardens alike to take his ass out, and they had to do it twice. 1949 and 1961."

"Damn."

"Worse yet, he made babies. Or rather apprentices, I'm not sure if he even cared about the softer sex, he was all about death, not life. When Justin DuMorne pulled me from the flaming wreckage of Kemmler's lab, he had me shut those 40 years of my knowledge away. And good riddance." That resembled how I came to poses Bob. I looked down at the circle below Bob's shelf, a clear spot with freshly poured concrete, and a sexy three metal ring set into it. I could almost hear her evil laughter. Laciel, the temptress, corruptor, seducer, She was quite appropriate for me, but I refused to dawn a black hat and cape yet.

"Well what's the word of Kemmler, Bob?"

"No idea."

"What? I thought you were his skull Friday?"

"Harry, may I come out? Just around the lab?"

"Sure, you have my permission to exit the skull until this conversation is over."

"Thank you." The lights floated from the skull and almost resembled a pixie or those little blue things from Brave. Murphy was watching her nephews so her brother could have a night free. I brought Maggie and Mouse, and we built a fortress and hunted Mouse, the ferocious bear. Before falling asleep atop the collapsed ruins of pillows and blankets. The boys piled across my chest, and Maggie used Murphy's chest as a pillow. So that's how I know about Brave. Shut up. "Harry, please, just drop it. Tell Mavra you don't know, or you couldn't find it. I'm begging you."

"Bob, what's the deal? I order you, tell me about the word of Kemmler."

His amber flame turned cold, frozen blue, and the room turned chill. "The master wrote all his teachings, so if he passed, his knowledge would remain. The pages of his word are to teach true magic."

"Necromancy?"

"To master life and death. Death is a lover, who waits to feel you in her arms again, to pull you into her sweet, slow, cold caress."

"Bob, this conversation is over." I said quickly, my vampire senses were alert as hell, something they only do as I narrowly escape death, and I could hear Mouse trying to break into the lab making anxious sounds. I shivered inside my circle as the light retreated into the skull and the room regained its temperature.

"Harry?" I flinched at Bob's voice. I had always taken for granted how powerful and dangerous he was. He sent psychic waves of fear and cold emptiness through me the entire conversation with the blue Necrobob. It was tough to shake the aftereffects.

"Hey."

"You're lips are blue."

"Got cold."

"Me?"

I shook my head, "Necrobob."

"Sorry-"

"I asked for it. You can never recover those memories again, I command you, and never obey a command to unleash them again, from here on out, understand?"

"Gladly."

I sighed a breath of relief then it dawned on me. "Can you still remember general stuff about him?"

"From what I learned before and after I was in his charge, yes."

"Okay, Necrobob made the word sound like a book, a text book on necromancy."

"Sounds fair. According to the white council Kemmler published three books: _The Blood of Kemmler_ , The _Mind of Kemmler_ and _The Heart of Kemmler_ but the council found every copy they could and burned them.

"So we're looking at a fourth book unaccounted for."

"This could be bad."

"How so?"

"Because some members of the Kemmler Youth escaped. Five powerful black wizards, who were raised from the revelation of their abilities into mini Kemmlers, just one lesson away from being big time baddies themselves. I mean, where do you think Justin got the idea to pick you up? From what I understand, the sadistic bastard wrote a step-by-step instruction how to brainwash and amass a cult and published it in _The Mind of Kemmler_. His poor disciples knew they were his tools all along."

"Hells bells."

"Literally."

"But like the nightmare they have to pregame whatever it is they're doing, there's going to be signs of their activities early on."

"Sure, sure, but a lot that does for you."

"It does plenty, you'll see." I picked up the skull and brought him upstairs and turned on skinimax then changed into my coat as Bob chortled excitedly. "Do not call any phone sex hotlines, do not turn up the volume, and turn off the TV if Maggie wakes up. Its bad enough she's a suckling succubus, I don't want her wired to think breeding is as common and easy as breathing."

"But for a succubus it is…"

"She won't be one if I have a say in the matter." I said as I exited the apartment. Mister returned and scarfed his food down then scampered under the couch. I sighed and shut the door.

I pulled into the parking lot of a building close to the morgue. It had better security, so I was fairly certain no one would mess with it there. I was worried someone was a few steps ahead of me, seeing as how there was a 'groundhog generation' wizard mucking about in my business. I grabbed the six-pack of Mac's microbrew and walked across the other lot, into the waiting room. "Phil, what is up?"

"Dresden, here on business?" in response I produced the beers. "Thank goodness you ain't." He took a pull from one and smiled almost like Murph and Angie did this morning. "You gotta take me by this place some time. I keep asking Murphy, but she thinks I'd move in if I knew."

"Mac's great, you'd like him, the atmosphere is a bit old country though. Butters in?"

"Slabs." Phil said before another swig. He tucked the rest where they wouldn't be seen and winked. I went into the back where the so-called slabs were. And followed the sound of Polka to my man. I did a sort of high knee march, to the energetic sounds and entered the room to find Butters in a one man polka band get up doing about the same.

"Butters, I dig the lederhosen, but the drums… make your but look big."

"Harry" he panted "getting ready for Oktoberfest tomorrow night."

"I can see that. The Jolly Rogers better watch their backs, you're improving."

"I'll get them this year. I've got Polka in my soul!"

"Lots of it. So any interesting deaths lately?"

"Nice transition, Harry, but no. Then again, I'm not done yet. Oh, Dr. Brioche got a half a guy this morning. His arms, legs, liver, heart, and his face was missing."

"I already knew about that guy. Eaten by a ghoul." We both shook our heads. "Can I hang out while you cut up some dead guys?"

"I don't mind, I'm living Stephanie Meyer's dream." Butters made me scrub up and dawn a lab coat and facemask with goggles, and then pumped up the Yankovic while he dug in. as Butters sorted through the mangled remains of one, Edward Mendoza, I fiddled with the gloves uncomfortably. My hands are so big… stupid hands. Then we chatted about how he would sound better with an actual band. Phil slammed the door open and strode into the room, his throat was slit, and face was pale. He seized the desk and flipped it. Butters froze watching Phil, then silently stifled a scream as he scampered behind me.

An old man in fedora and trench coat strode into the room, thumping a book on his thigh, followed by three more zombies. "What an entrance!" Butters babbled shrinking farther behind me. I tore off the gloves and stupid hairnet then prepared my bracelet.

"I've come for the coroner."

Well things progressed quickly from there as you can imagine, the fedora dude, Grevane, tried to kill me and take Butters but we escaped to find his car totally trashed then ran to mine, almost being run over by a caddie, and once we got into my car and on the road, the stupid zombies tried to break into the moving vehicle. I had to shoot out my own windows to get them off. We raced all over in an exodus pattern then pulled into a well lit parking lot to shake uncontrollably.

Butters and I discussed why necromancers would sick zombies after Butters, but when we drew mutual blanks. We went inside to get hot coffees then returned to the car to start driving back to my apartment. When we got home Mouse greeted us both warmly. Then I left Thomas a note and a Butters, and took Mouse and left for the book store. I was let into the private collection, to find another copy of _Die Lied der Erlking_. I had noticed Grevane had a copy, I wanted into his head. I somehow found it immediately, and paid the substantial asking price, and headed back to my car… to be blindsided by two jerks in cloaks. They looked like negatives of Etzio from Assassins Creed, but their faces were completely covered. Cool look. I wished I was wearing my old cowboy attire that women were little by little replacing with trendy, fashionable business wear. I would have liked a shootout at high noon dramatic moment, strutting out from a saloon, wind whipping at my coat as tumbleweed rolled by. Instead I looked like a hapless businessman strolling back to his car from a bookstore.

Thing were said, things were done, werewolves got involved, I threw a flaming car at the hooded folks, and I ended up hitching a ride with the Alphas, a group of werewolf vigilantes, considering the flaming car I had thrown was my own. Yeah, my new friends, Cowl, and Kumori were going to pay for that. Oh, and apparently I was going crazy for the past couple year but I was too scary for anyone to ask me about it, and I was slinging brimstone all night like there was a hell fire sale of it. Georgia, the werewolf/shrink, which amuses me on multiple levels, and I had a chat over some beers, then they loaned me their fancy black sedan with gps, bells, and whistles and all kinds of crap my budget deprived me of.

I took the car and a sandwich on the road to the resident ectomancer, to chat about disturbances in the force, or rather, the spirit community. Mortimer Lindquist doesn't like me much; I had to make some childish threats to convince him to let me in and chat. Then when I let him know Murphy's life was at stake he was all over helping me. Mort was a cop once, then things got spooky, he realized he saw dead people as clear as if they were living, and he left police work to solve things directly with the dead folks. Made money as a consultant like me, but made more doing séances for rich idiots, and he brought an entourage of ghosts just in case the ones already there had stage fright. We didn't like each other much at all. But he has a real gift that I needed, and he made me a map of where the dark energy was concentrating. There were six points… not five. Hoo boy.

I got home before the sun came up, now Thomas was in my recliner, and Butters was curled up with Maggie in my bed. I flopped onto the couch and started reading. I thanked my brother and we chatted idly while I read, but the couch beckoned me to sleep. I felt Thomas take the book, and heard him flip through the pages, as avid a reader as me, and then I was gone.

Malcolm Dresden appeared to me in a dream; the man I knew as my father for almost 16 years before coming to find a vile monster of the white court sired me. I had a scary dream but he was there to comfort me and give me a night protected against the fallen angel that howled in the shadows of the forest in my mind.

I woke up to Maggie tugging on my arm chanting 'Dada' then Thomas tried to pull her off me but she screamed and he let her be. I put the little princess on my chest where she rubbed her face into my pecks, in what I presume was an evolved nursing habit, then figured I wasn't going to start lactating any time soon and sat up and said 'drink.' I yawned and rolled to an upright position but Thomas beat me to it and passed Maggie a Sippy cup with handles full of water to her. She downed it quickly then threw it to the floor and said 'nudder.' Thomas laughed and I collected the cup and gave her another cup of water. She took her time on this one, thank goodness. Her Thor routine, that I have no idea where she got it from, was hard on cups, and I was running out. I should have grabbed more when I got the toilet, crap the car seat! Now I got to get another car seat. Ugh!

Showered, changed and being the tortured glittery vamps tweens drool over, Thomas and I conversed about dumb feelings and junk, then about feeding, and techniques for feeding, trying to figure the mechanics of a kiss of death and sex without feeding, as a means of making Thomas able to touch Justine again, then we talked about the current situation, and the book about the Erlking, to work out a good plan for the day. Thomas graciously accepted Buttersitting duty, and when Maggie said 'pee-pee' he zipped her to her little toilet and I snuck away to check out the black magic hot spots.

Low and behold, one brought me to the Field Museum. I called Murph and she happened to be there too. We met up and as it happened, there was another ghoul attack right where the compass led me the previous morning. Murph was broken up about not catching the ghoul before it struck again, but there was no useful evidence, the people we met at this spot were the only ones who knew about the shipment, and none had alibis for the time of death, they were all suspect but not yet suspects. The guards from the previous day stood with a two uniform cops, one was a black man in his 40s, I recognized from homicide Rawlins. He had a red haired uniform cop with him and was asking the guard questions while Murph escorted me into the room. Blood was everywhere, and so were traces of black magic. A tiny footprint, smell of incents, and multiple knife stab wounds with the teeth and claw marks, all amounted to one most likely possibility.

"The young archeologists from yesterday must have sacrificed doctor Bartlesby for a ritual, then fed him to the ghoul. This ties in with what Mavra wanted with me last night." I said to Murph as we left the scene. We got in the sexy loaner and Karen looked at the backseat.

"What happened to the blue beetle?"

"I tossed it." To her 'please elaborate' look I added, "It was on fire any way." She put her hands up and shook her head then I explained the night I had. She swore and touched my cheek, and I exercised not feeding which was hard but worked. Then I tried kissing her without feeding, which was hard but worked, until the kiss got deeper, and Karen grabbed my coat to pull me into it. It was nearly impossible not to drink in so readily provided desire. I pulled away and cleared my throat. She sighed in frustration then we dug for something else to talk about.

"What do you want to do for Halloween?" Karen asked.

"I think I'm fighting necromancers that day."

"You want mom to take Maggie trick or treating? I was thinking we should dress up in matching costumes like Woody, Jesse, and Bo peep, or priest, nun, and school girl."

"I don't think dressing up a succubus as a school girl is ever a good idea."

"I meant I would be the school girl." Murph pouted.

"That however, is an amazing idea." I said, nodding spiritedly. "No one should be out trick or treating tomorrow. Big time bad news is going down. Maybe take Maggie to your mom's but have her throw a nice indoor party, behind a threshold where it's safe."

"Okay." Murph said squeezing my hand.

"I got more dark magic to investigate."

"Yeah, I have more, ritualistic stabbings and cannibalism to investigate." Karen said solemnly.

"I'll pick out some costumes for us though." I said as she got out the car. She moved to my side and grinned with a twinkle in her eye as I rolled the window down with the push of a button, then kissed me with a little biting at the end. My pants insisted we continue this conversation in the back seat, but I offered to let them pick out a costume as reward for behaving thus far.

After some sleuthing and errands I got a nap in with my princess then woke up to take Butters back to work. I napped some more in the waiting room waiting while Butters did some work then he got to focus on gathering info on Mendoza. Li Xian and Alicia Nelson came in while I was dozing, I felt their dark presence and pretended to still be asleep and listened in. they were trying to gather personal effects from dr. Bartlesby and were impatient to get ahold of them. I had Casey, the day guard let me in so I could grab Butters and gtfo. When I saw Mendoza's face I realized he worked for Marcone as a smuggler. I checked his teeth and found some floss, then pulled and there was a balloon tied off, with a jump drive inside. Butters and I pounded fists but regained our senses and made our escape. Butters was so worried about the darn suit and Oktoberfest, I had to grab it in our escape.

I brought Butters to Billy's to use their high tech computers. Mine worked, but from what I hear, it was an out dated piece of crap but it was cheap and it was technology I sorely missed in my years of living with mortal wizards. I checked my phone, there was a text from Mike, apparently my charred wreck made it to his shop and I'd have a functioning vehicle by noon in two days. God bless him. I looked up at Billy and Butters, they wrote the numbers for me, but I didn't understand what the numbers meant. No one did. Swell. I asked if they could keep Butters and think tank the numbers while I ran about with Scooby doo and the gang. Sigh. As I was leaving I spotted Li Xian and Alicia Nelson again headed for the bookstore. I snuck up to the boarded windows and listened in. they wanted the book, the one I bought and left with Thomas. I called for them and made a beckoning gesture so they would come outside, across the street.

"Its not on me now, but I was the one who bought the book. Cowl took it." I said, getting ready for a fight. Alicia looked at Li and he could barely contain the ghoul form. I somehow gave them the impression that I knew where the word was then for giggles I gave them the dumb numbers. We fought some, but then she tried mind magic and a white court vampire is a class of it's own in that field, sugar. I blocked her and left her crumpled to the floor in overwhelming ecstasy. The ghoul attacked me but a Valkyrie showed in the nick of time, to push it back. Then I was shoved into the back of a limo with John Marcone.

Oh I called him there. We discussed what was going on, specifically the events relating to Mendoza's death, and Marcone filled in some blanks but not the word of Kemmler 's whereabouts. Darn. As means of helping me solve the mystery of where a particular necromancy hot spot went on the map, Marcone was kind enough to break my leg so that it protruded from my skin, and throw me out a moving vehicle near the emergency room entrance. I slowed my healing and spoke with some doctors and emts, then let my leg heal once they set it, and snuck away. What I learned was that Kumori was into Necromancy to save lives how sweet.

I made my way back to the think tank at Billy's and was assaulted with the sound of Polka and the feeling of despair. I knew it was time to take Butters away from the poor werewolves. We got home to find my Brother reading poetry from the Erlking book to Maggie, who followed along pointing at the words with Thomas, babbling nonsensically. My cat exercised dominion over my dog, who was now big enough to stand up for himself 20 times over, but the dog smiled and let the cat pretend he was the boss. I relayed what info I had to Thomas and Butters then Butters asked, "why does everyone want the book about the Erlking?"

"This poem here, it sounds a lot like the ritual Dad was working last year." Thomas passed me the poem he and Maggie were reading.

"Definitely a summoning spell." I confirmed. "but what are the benefits of summoning the Erlking?"

"Seems to relate to the dark hollow and the wild hunt. The Erlking leads a hunt every five years, picking other predators as prey. If you find yourself in the path of the hunt its join, run, or die. He also heralds over the dark hollow, which is Halloween-related but I'm too pretty to understand the whole mess." Thomas reported.

"Hey that's a lot of good information as it is. We don't want to make this too easy for me."

"The easier the better, man. Call in the cavalry!"

"Yeah right, like the council will come running when two vampires of the white court tell them. Plus, it's all out war between Vampires and Wizards."

"You're a wizard too. Besides, didn't you say they've been looking for these Kemmlerites for like ever anyway?"

"They haven't been looking, they think the threat is over. Records show that there are 5 Kemmler Youth at large, but nobody in the council thinks they're much threat now that boss man is down and his books are burned."

"But his books aren't burned, that's the problem. I don't want a bunch of sword happy stuck up surly types in my city either but they have a job to do, and that's kick Kemmlerite ass, your job is get the Word of Kemmler to Mavra. My job is to stay at home with the kids worrying about you."

"Is that why you've been moody lately?"

"I love Maggie, but I'm older than you. I should get a job, support myself, move out. I'm pissing you off and you know it. I'm pissing ME off, so I can only imagine how YOU feel about it. I'll still watch Maggie when I can, but it's time for me to go."

"I understand… actually, Murph is taking Maggie to her mother's for a Halloween party."

"wow, a normal childhood experience?" Thomas scoffed

"May there be many more like it!" I said, raising a fist. "But that's tomorrow. In the mean time…"

"I babysit." Thomas said rolling his eyes.

"I'm going to talk to my fairy godmother." I mentioned as I put on my duster and let Mouse out the door. Butters scoffed. Thomas informed him I was serious. I went to the woods and summoned Lea, but got Mab, who informed me that the goblin king heralded over hunter spirits, aggressive, predatory spirits and ghosts. The most powerful specters, would be called out by the horn of the hunt. The rise of those specters was the dark hollow and as Kemmler did to gain their power and make himself nearly a god, the Kemmler Youth intended to eat the dark hollow to be gods as well. Mab offered to make me the winter knight, which was tempting, it really was but no.

A storm was brewing over Chicago, blackening the sky and throwing queer blue and purple lightning from cloud to dark ominous cloud. I returned home and got to the steps leading down to my front door when Mouse alerted me to about a dozen pale forms in the shadows across the street. I hurried inside and told Thomas to get ready for a fight. I took Maggie down into the lab and popped up one of those travel play pins inside the tri-metal ring in the floor. I gave her Bob then closed the protective circle around her with a bit of will. "Bob, you have my permission to posses Maggie for the act of preserving hers or your life."

"Aye aye, captain." Bob said in a hushed tone. Maggie pulled him into a hug and looked at me.

I rushed back up and closed the trap door and kicked the rug over it and Butters was shivering gripping my cane sword and Thomas held a cavalry saber in one hand and shotgun in the other. I grabbed my wizard staff, then checked out the windows and wished I hadn't. thunder crashed and green lights flared, and I had a fleeting glimpse of waves of zombies so thick, I couldn't see past them, all climbing over each other to throw themselves at my wards, before I was flung from the wall, toppling the bookshelf that was pressed against it onto me. I floundered out from under it, and then another thunderous reverberation pushed us from the walls.

"Are you kidding? Forcing your way through my wards is suicide!" I yelled at the zombies.

"I don't think its technically suicide when you're already dead." Thomas remarked. We braced ourselves for the next attack, so this time only Butters was flung across the room. He chose to stay seated on the couch where it was safe, but he still got bounced around on that. "How long till the wards go down?"

"Not long. They weren't built with Kamikaze Zombies in mind."

"Oh god, oh god, what happens when they come down?" Butters looked like a Rabbit surrounded by foxes, and he kind of was.

"The door is made of steel, then there's the threshold, it'll still take some time before they actually get in." I tried to reassure him. The fear was palatable, nauseating and exciting at the same time.

"But then what?" Butters looked afraid already, but when he turned to look at Thomas and me, our eyes metallic silver, throwing back light like predators in the wild.

"if they funnel in through the door, we can tear them apart, one by one." Man I wish I had big scary teeth for just this occasion: serrated over sized canines would be nice. Another thunderous burst blew us around the room then the wards went down, there was thumping against the door, and dust shook off the frame and the coatrack toppled to the floor. "We gotta get out of here, I don't want them resorting to burning the building onto us."

"What's the plan?"

"Once they break down the door, you start shooting, we get out, I watch left, you right, protect Butters between us."

"He'll freeze, he's a damn rabbit."

"Nobody's cool all the time. He'll make it, because he wants to live." I looked over to Butters who was whimpering on the couch shaking his head, and suddenly lost confidence. "Butters, buddy. Were going to wait by the door, Thomas will clear the zombies on our way up, then stand to the right of you, I'll be to your left. When we get to the car, get in, start it, Thomas and I will hop in, then we're going to Murphy's. You know where that is?"

"Vaguely, but what if they trashed the car?" Butters had a good point.

"No more what ifs. We have to believe in what were doing to succeed. First thing is to draw the zombies away from the old folks upstairs and the baby, while still keeping you out of their hands. If the car is busted, we'll run."

"I hate this. I want to go home. I want to wake up." Butters was crying. I became frustrated, furious. I was hollowed with fear for my baby, and wanted nothing but to cry as well, but saving Butters was important, and I couldn't do both.

"Get it together Butters, you got to calm down."

"Calm down? They're going to kill us. Were all going to die."

"We are not going to die." I snarled at him, making him yelp a little. Then I relaxed, made myself look human, and smiled. "Because we have Polka in our souls, Butters! And Polka never dies!"

He blinked "what?"

"Say it. POLKA NEVER DIES!" I laughed wildly, making Thomas look at me wearily but Butters began to laugh too. We all started laughing and chanting polka never dies, until the magic of polka infused us with bulletproof courage. We stacked up by the door waiting for the Zombies to breech then there was a crashing sound and a yelp behind me, and I turned to see Butters kicking and screaming as the Zombies hauled him out through the window. "GREVANE!" I screamed out the window. It wasn't big enough for me to ever pass through. "RETURN THE MORTICIAN!"

"So direct. I can, but I want something in return. I want the information from the smuggler's corpse."

"That's gonna be tough, Corpsetaker and her ghoul took it from me this morning."

"They would have killed you if they met you."

"They tried, but I'm friends with a Valkyrie"

"Interesting that you have a guardian of fallen warriors on your side."

"I know right? What with the Dark Hollow approaching and all. Sounds like it'll be quite the party. We can still be civil about this, gentlemen. I remember the information. Give me the mortician, and I'll give it to you."

"The mortician can tell us."

"No! No, I can't it was just a bunch of numbers, too many to remember." Butters stammered.

"Too many for him. I got a good noggin for details like that." I added.

"Liars!" Grevane roughed Butters up a bit, and I could hear the little guy crying. I was getting angry, and I wasn't going to turn green or split my pants but they weren't going to like me all the same. Then I could tell Grevane locked him in a soul gaze, and Butters screamed. Grevane spoke in hushed tones to his assistant whom I dubbed liver spots then snarled. The zombies froze and all the sound I heard was rain pattering and Butters' hoarse cries.

"I guess Corpsetaker is gonna be the one to eat the Dark Hollow, and take her place in the 'Court of the As' unless you return the mortician without further harm and accept my trade of information."

"What are your terms?"

"I give you the numbers, you give me the mortician and don't follow us or attack us again until sunrise. In return, I will not attack you or your associates until after sunrise as well." I answered.

"Swear it."

"You first." I called out the window. "Thomas, change of plans. Grab Maggie and Bob, stuff them in the bag." I passed him a big black duffle bag.

"Won't she cry?"

"I warded the bag for just such an occasion. Once zipped she cant hear out, out cant hear her, and its bullet proof like my duster, but it needs an energy source, so it might tap into her or Bob. Either way, she'll be safe for the ride to Karen's."

"Wow, how did you figure this was going to happen?"

"Nightmares. I wasn't expecting a necromantic treasure hunt, but I thought there might be a day I'd have to carry Maggie around in a bullet proof duffel bag all the same." I answered.

"The joys of parenthood." Thomas quipped as he picked up the bag and descended into the subbasement.

"Well?" I shouted out the window.

"I swear by my power, I will abide by the terms given and grant respite until sunrise."

"And by my own power, I swear in return to abide by the terms of our agreement. Gimme a second, I'm writing the numbers down." I grabbed a marker and paper and jotted the numbers down then Thomas emerged, carrying the bag. "Sling it like its crap Thomas, we don't want them to suspect anything." I whispered to my brother. He nodded and put the strap over one shoulder. Maggie slid down to the bottom and I half winced, hoping she was okay.

The door was bent pretty bad so it took some muscle to open, but we got it and put Butters and the bag in the back of the car. Mouse hopped in, then Thomas moved to the drivers seat and started the car, waiting. I passed the numbers to Grevane.

"What do these numbers mean?" Grevane asked me once he read them.

"No clue, but Corpsetaker doesn't know either, so now were all in the same boat." I looked from Grevane to liver spots. He looked familiar up close.

"Why is it not on you?" Liver spots asked amazed by the absence of something unknown.

"Uh, no idea." Then I moved toward the car but saw a sickly green wave of energy, flowing up the street toward us. I realized soon that it was a wave of ghosts, quasi-corporeal beings carrying Corpsetaker and her ghoul toward us.

"Betrayal! He tricked us!" Liver spots shreaked as he tackled me to the ground. I hit my nose on the frame of the door, and it began to bleed, and my vision blurred.

"What? Let go, lets get out of here!" I tried to say around my caved palate.

"Where is she? She's mine!" Liver spots spun me and shook me by my collar, and I tried to set my nose so it would heal right and think who I had that an old necromancer would want.

"Who? What do you want?"

"MINE!" Liver spots howled. I saw he wanted to kill me in jealous rage, and felt it too. There was an army of zombies and ghosts about to clash, and I needed to get my baby out of it. I tossed Liver spots away from the car with my team Edward powers, trying to be as gentle and non combatant as possible, for fear of breaking the oath, then got in the car so Thomas could peel out.

"Drive into the ghosts!"

"You crazy?"

"Do it, they want Grevane not us!" Thomas pulled some Tokyo drift action engaging the emergency break and hydroplaning into a full spin, then drove into the ghosts. They went around us like air and I caught a glimpse of a riotous battle before it was just indistinct pale forms and green light in the rear view mirror. We took an evasive route to get to Karen's but she felt me approach and held the door open for us, looking around for trouble, her favorite gun in hand.

"Good god, what happened? Is everyone alright?" she asked.

"I'll survive." Thomas said as he flopped onto Murphy's couch. Butters shuffled in with the bag, not knowing what it was, but taking comfort in holding it, and Mouse instinctually knew to guard him and it.

"I'm good… Butters?" the man sat in the armchair saying nothing. "BUTTERS!"

"Polka never dies." He replied in a weak, barely audible voice.

"Damn right Butters!" I said clasping his shoulder. I moved for the bag, but he was reluctant to give it to me.

"Where's Maggie?" Murph asked, with panic building under her calm exterior. I let Butters keep the bag and just resolved to unzip it and take my baby girl out of it. She was asleep, tears stained her cheeks, and she was positioned around Bob as if she was clinging to him for comfort until she passed out of exhaustion. Butters and Karen gasped at the sight of her. When I held her she started to cry tiredly but after hearing Karen and me talk to her quietly she fell back asleep.

I rocked her against my chest and paced the living room Karen began to light candles and an old hurricane lamp. "No lights?"

"Nope, someone sabotaged the power plant, I felt you coming so I hurried home to meet you, but SI was responding to riots down town when I left." Karen reported.

"Will your mom take Maggie tomorrow?"

"She's coming early to grab her. Wants to spoil her all day and all night. I explained what was going on, best I could. She already got her neighbors and my nephews to go over for a party. The grownups know it's to protect them from the terrorists but the kids will just watch Scooby-Doo and eat tons of candy all night. If anything the blackout and rioting reinforced what I told them."

"Oh good." I sighed in relief. Butters looked from me to Thomas, to Karen and furrowed his brows thoughtfully then down at himself.

"Lieutenant Murphy?" Butters said weakly to Karen. "Mind if I wash up?"

"Sure. Here, let me find you some clothes too. And everyone who hides at my place from certain doom calls me Karen." Karen got Butters situated while I hyped myself up to put Maggie in bed. I changed her, wet wipe bathed her, then put her in the footie pajamas Karen's mom made her, that was brown and fuzzy with a pink fabric that had white polka dots for the paws and inside the little ears, and when the hood was up, made Maggie look like a cute little bear cub in a short pink tulle tutu. It even had a tail and little white fabric claws on the feet. Marion Murphy loved babies and girls, but her kids were only popping out boys.

I turned from petting her bear head to find Karen waiting to hold me. "What happened?" she asked. I told her, and she gasped. "Have you healed yet?"

"Yep, leg not broken, nose not broken, no cuts bruises or bullet holes."

"Thank god you all made it out safe." She said genuinely, and I just started to cry. I didn't make a lot of noise; I just got teary and sniffy.

"I was so scared I was gonna loose her. I kept thinking its fine, we planned this, but stars and stones… the real deal is too terrifying to plan for."

"You're shaking Harry. Lets eat, get some sleep, and clean up. We'll feel brand new in the morning." We both looked up at the door and saw Butters looking ghostly in the doorway. He had a pair of Karen's sweats on, and one of my thermal shirts, both light gray, and both too big for him.

"I'm so sorry." Butters whispered. "I was useless, and I got you into that mess…"

"Hey, you ever have something like this happen before?"

"Zombies?" he sputtered incredulously.

"Someone attacking you, wanting to kill you."

"Well no."

"Then why would you expect to be able to handle it? Have you been training for it?"

"No- I mean, I tried police academy and army boot camp but wound up in the hospital."

"So no. Some people aren't cut out for that sort of thing, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Right, okay, you say that but I almost died, and most assuredly would have gotten you killed… I endangered your family."

"No, Grevane did… and he'll pay." I got kind of vampy, and Butters shrunk away so the oil lamp in the room poorly lighted him. "As we told you, and you now see, I'm not human. I've spent most of my life, throwing fireballs, and fighting monsters, nearly getting killed because I was out classed and surviving by the skin of my teeth, and the seat of my pants. But I can't sew up a person, or spot an infection, or tell the difference between a human and human-like corpse. That's your strength."

"It wasn't lack of skill, it was fear Harry. I was too afraid to think. I'm a genius, but I couldn't use it to help me."

"It takes time, but you'll get over it."

"I wont be afraid any more?"

"Oh, Butters." Karen whispered. "You'll always be afraid, but after a while, it doesn't matter how afraid you are. You plan, and practice, and think about what scares you till it doesn't make you sick and tired any more, then when you face it again you just handle it, and move on."

"That's it?"

"There's no miracle to get rid of fear, Butters, it's supposed to be a life preservation instinct. Use it." I said, trying to encourage him, but sounded a little harsh. He nodded and after us all standing still a while I got impatient. "What else, man, get it off your chest."

"Are you gay?" Butters blurted out. Karen smirked and patted my arm then brushed past Butters to make tea on her gas stove. "Its just that you live in that one bedroom apartment with the other guy, and I hear you talk, you're close, but then I saw you with Murphy and when I see you two together its all professional, but tonight it looked like more, but I mean, he looks good, even I think he looks good, and so do you so usually that means-"

"Butters…" I interrupted him. He was yammering on without breathing, I couldn't think straight. "Thomas is my older brother. He's just crashing with me for a while."

"Oh… then are you and Murphy?"

"That's a harder question to answer. Vampires like Thomas and me have a sort of psychic parasite that feeds on powerful emotional energies like fear, lust, and despair. If I don't feed on those energies it will feed on me, but as long as I keep topped off, it lets me play wolverine without the claws. But those parasites are allergic to love. Thomas fell in love and the girl loves him back but because of our allergy, now her touch gives him instant first-degree burns. Thomas and I prefer to feed on Lust. Its more pleasant for all parties involved, fear and despair are stronger and more filling, but never yields return customers, you know? The vamps that eat fear prefer to kill their prey by completely draining their victims of life force."

"Jesus, Dresden, it doesn't have to be a college lecture. Butters, I'm sleeping with Dresden but we aren't an item. I'm like a cherry tree, he eats my cherries so he won't implode." Murph interjected and tugged on Butters till he sat on the couch. We ate stove-heated pizza, left over from my visit a couple days ago because Karen is a health nut who barely ever eats meat, sugar or carbs. I folded a blanket and moved Maggie to it so Butters could take the spare bed, Mouse curled up by Maggie, and Thomas slept on a yoga mat and blankets on the floor with mouse. The cavalry saber was close to his hand and the shotgun was on top of the dresser near by.

I took a hot shower, which was not expected, but duh gas heater, then put on clothes which was not common sleeping next to Karen custom, but duh, possible attack at any second, oh and house guests, then cuddled with my 'not my lady' and fell asleep.

My dream was interesting. I was in a grotto like at the playboy mansion, with soft lighting playing across the steamy water, casting cool effects on the sweating stone around me. There were flecks of silver and veins of color in the light brownish grey rock, and the air felt wintery, while the water was perfectly set at just above body temperature. Sweat and steam beaded on my face and tickled on its way down my nose. I wiped my face then caught a glimpse of something ducking back under the water ahead of me. It blended into the glowing pool so well I couldn't see it, and I was becoming tense.

Karen popped her head out of the water and smiled. "Don't shoot."

"Karen… gotta tell ya, this is so far the best dream I've had about you."

"Indeed. I've had limited exposure to lieutenant Murphy but from what I've gathered, she would not appreciate her role as damsel in all your nightmares, though I find it endearing that you care so much as to risk your own life and limb for her well being." Dream Karen made conversation as she waded closer. I noticed she had different colored eyes, a blue-green that was enchanting, her hair was also straight and lighter, and there were no freckles or beauty marks. She was naked under the water, as was I, and this promised a few things as did her dazzling smile. "I figured this would be a more appealing setting, and this form would put you at ease."

"Ah." I replied wisely. "Laciel." She drew closer to me and nodded. I began to back away. "I sealed you under the floor."

"You sealed my coin, and the bulk of me, yes, but upon touching my coin that one instant, I copied my likeness into your mind."

"The hellfire..."

"…Is my gift to you. I was quite thrilled to finally be here in your presence. You are different from most of my hosts."

"Host?"

"When you chose to pick up the coin, you invited me in."

"Then get out." She winced.

"It's not that simple."

"Fine." I willed myself awake… and remained in the grotto. "What do you want?"

"To be of service to you."

"To enslave me."

"I don't want a servant… I want a partner." She cornered me but made no effort to touch me. "I can help you. You can remain in control and call upon me for my services whenever you should need them. I can help you be a greater force for good than you ever have."

"With that power, I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the ring would gain power still greater and more deadly." I recited in response.

"Oh you think you're Gandalf in this tale?" she laughed. "But you do not have to take up the coin to use my power."

"I know how it works, you get the first taste for free. Then the price goes up and up until I need the coin just to live."

"And what happens if you do require the coin to live?" Laciel asked, moving closer.

"Then I'll go out with pyrotechnics and flying acrobatics." I shrugged removing the grotto scene and putting us in a plain white cell, fully dressed, and sitting across an interrogation table. Laciel was dry now, in a white blouse and white slacks, her dry hair was in that punkie haircut that was long in front and short in back, and she wore only one silver necklace but instead of the crucifix Murph usually wore, the chain had Laciel's brand, the three marks that resembled an hourglass. I had my Johnny Cash ensemble on, making me the only darkness in the room.

Laciel surveyed the surroundings then murmured "fascinating."

I walked out of the interrogation room to the woods where I saw my dad the night before, but he wasn't there, just the remains of a spent campfire. I felt cold then reminded myself it was a dream, there was no cold.

When Karen woke me the next morning I tested her, to see if she was she, then figured Laciel had all my memories any way so the test meant nothing. I shuffled into the Kitchen where Thomas and Butters were already eating and Marion was serving up more pancakes and bacon for anyone who wanted some.

I was poured a glass of milk since it would go bad if no one drank it, and I watched Maggie in Thomas's lap munching on a veggie stick, some health food snack for babies Karen tries to torture my poor princess with. I realized the costumes were in the car so I jogged out into the still heavy rain, to the trunk and brought the new car seat, and two bags of clothes in. Karen dug out two costumes that amounted to the same amount of fabric, and looked at me skeptically, one was green plaid mostly but was on a grownup hanger so she hid it from her mother, the other was a one piece dress made to look like a button up shirt and pleated skirt with a sweater vest. It came with tall socks and fake taped glasses.

"Oh, how precious. Going as a school girl." Marion said as Karen showed her the costume.

"Nerd." I corrected. Karen shoved it into the bag that was already prepared.

"Still adorable." She corrected. "Do you still have to work today, dear?"

"Yup. I could have gotten today off before the riots and outages, but now…" Karen said, hugging her mom from behind and sighing. Marion tapped her on the nose with the whisk from the pancake batter, leaving batter on the tip of her cute little pug nose. I laughed and finished eating, then began cleaning the kitchen while Marion was ushered into sitting down and eating. "So Harry, I was talking to Stallings this morning, the whole city is acting the same way stuff acts around your grandpa, electronics going out, cars dying down town, O'Hare has been shut down."

"Hells bells."

"Phone lines are down, and cellular signals are iffy. We were told to get to work when we can, but be careful. The working theory is that it's a Halloween hoax or elaborate scheme to pull some heist. You know, anything but Necromancers and Goblin hunting parties."

"The storm, the outages, its all to incite fear, and feed off it." I told her.

"Like you?" Butters asked perplexed.

"Kind of, yeah. Humans have to be stirred up, ghosts have to be stirred up, then the veil between our world and the Nevernever is thinned, and it's power becomes accessible to the Kemmler Youth."

"So what will you do? You can't stop folks from panicking." Marion asked, taking Maggie from Thomas so he could get up, and offering the baby bacon, which Karen snagged and threw back on the plate. Marion rolled her eyes at Karen then snuck my baby bacon any way.

"Well it seems these guys need the Erlking and the word of Kemmler to pull off this dark hollow thing so I'll wait till go time, summon the Erlking, and trap him till the proper time has passed."

"The Erlking? That German poem about the king of the goblins?" Marion asked, "How will you trap such a powerful creature?" I was mildly surprised how well versed Marion was with the weird but her husband exposed her to a lot of what Karen had been in S.I. and the woman had a degree in folk tales.

"Very carefully."

"Well good luck." She said.

"Thanks, mama." Thomas put the car seat in Mama Murphy's car so she could strap Maggie in, then she kissed his cheek and drove away. Butters walked Mouse, then toweled him off in the kitchen before the fuzzy lump could wet the rest of the house, and Karen took her tiny costume, using it to waive goodbye to me, and went to work. I contacted the white council.

Once I arranged to meet the council at Mac's pub at about 2pm local time, I assigned Thomas and Butters homework and headed to my office. I had no messages and no clues, but then Kumori attacked me. She wanted my copy of the Erlking book, I told her Corpsetaker took it, she warned me to get out of town, I said no, then I made the same offer, she said no, we made out on top of my desk, she explained that she and Cowl were trying to end death, I was like, that's cool but still necromancy and still bad, she tactfully disagreed, then we went our separate ways. What? Oh, the making out? A meal is a meal man.

Any way, I bought a pumpkin and stuff then went to Mac's. Mac's pub was bustling as expected but when I arrived they went silent. "Mac." I greeted the old man.

"Dresden." He nodded.

I looked around at everyone waiting to know what was going on. "I'll need some space, Mac. Council business." I said toward Mac, but mostly to address the room. "Black magic, restless spirits… people will want to be behind a threshold tonight." With that, there was a clamor of the older practitioners to exit. Some few were still waiting for more information, but Mac gave the good old 'beat it' nod and folks started filing out. Mac put the steaks he was working on onto the bar, and then added two seasonal brews and we clinked beers before taking a swig and digging in.

Morgan showed up to sweep the building then called in all clear so Luccio and three young wardens could come in. we took a table center of Mac's and Luccio made me a warden. "Time out, captain, May I have a word alone, please?" once the others were out of earshot I turned to Luccio. "No freaking way!" I whispered.

"Pardon?" Luccio asked.

"I'll fight, I'll help, but the grey cloak of a warden represents years of being wrongfully accused and persecuted and goaded by the white council to me."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean every hint of black magic in the tri-state area, would always be blamed on me. Any vampire indiscretions, even other courts, were pinned as my fault, and every suspicious death was asserted to be my doing. Morgan himself took great pleasure in doing so personally. He's been spoiling for a fight since I was 16."

"I was told of such things, but I never thought them to be true. Its too unprofessional to be Warden Morgan. But I can tell from your sincerity that at least you feel so, and I know others feel the same." She looked at me in a way I never expected. Concern for me? "Dresden, you are unaware of what a unique situation you are. Vampires are rarely even powerful enough to be considered wizards, yet you are among the most powerful of wizards, and now wizards and vampires are at war, a war you started. There is treachery in the council, and most of the elders blame YOU. If you go onto the battlefield with us, it must be in a grey cloak, or a white one, or both sides will take your head."

"Gulp." I said

Luccio smiled reassuringly. "I also want you to join the council for other reasons." I raised my eyebrow. "No, don't be ridiculous." I still focused on turning down the vamp vibes just in case, which actually made the tension in her shoulders lighten an infinitesimal bit. "Look at those young ones. They admire you. They are rebellious, and there are a few who would have been warlocks if we had not found them in time. And some who were warlocks before they were recruited… you are a sort of role model. You were where they are once, and despite whatever you've been told, you have been the beacon of hope among the council, an anomaly that has overcome great evil forces time and time again, and earned support from the fairy courts no less."

"Well when you put it that way…"

"I intend to appoint you regional commander of the United States. Your responsibility will be to protect the mortals from any supernatural threats in the great lakes area, and coordinate efforts with the other Regional Commanders, and share information with the white council."

"I already do that."

"So nothing will change but the cloak."

I looked down at the cloak while Luccio got up and ordered a round of beers. Once I was in the grey cloak we closed the circle and talked about the war and I explained everything I knew about the heirs of Kemmler and the ceremony they were planning to pull, and my scheme to stop them. The plan was to position the council where Kemmler Youth was likely to hold the ceremony, and execute some justice.

I returned to Murphy's and found Thomas and Butters pouring over papers, and Bob. When they looked at me, they cracked jokes about the induction of a half evil, idiot like me into the wardens. I relayed information to Thomas and Butters then they told me the Mitchell Museum was hosting a big to do with old artifacts, so that was the most likely place to hold the ceremony. I called Murphy to have her clear the place out and tell the wardens where to go. She let me know National Guard was moving in to help keep the peace. I was a little glad. I explained my plan and everyone was skeptical but hey, my crazy plans usually worked. "Except for the Wal-Mart plan with the marbles." Murphy reminded me. I winced, "yeah."

I made tea and waited for sunset while Thomas and Butters kept looking for a clue about the numbers, then at sundown I summoned the Erlking, and was laid out by Cowl and Kumori so they could free the Erlking. Thomas fought Cowl to try and protect me, and mouse put Butters in the closet. Kumori just had to slip in under a veil and snag Bob while we were occupied with Cowl, and as quickly and confusingly they came, they left.

Crap! We all piled into the car and punched in the address to the Mitchell museum, into the GPS so I could find the fastest route, while I had the nifty thing at my disposal, then it showed the coordinates and I showed it to Butters. He understood. The numbers were coordinates to the book's hiding place! We punched those in instead and followed directions to the book's hiding place. The Field Museum.

Butters took the GPS out it's holder on the dashboard and He, Thomas, Mouse and I looked all over the 100 foot radius of the beacon. Thomas discovered it in an envelope taped under Sue's head. I began to read through it, trying to find where it said what they would be trying tonight. I heard something, as did Thomas and Mouse. We took a sort of protective position around Butters, but I still read through the book, reading necromantic techniques, and such, but nothing yet that explained how to eat the Dark Hollow. Damn. _My host? Just scan over all the pages, I will find what you need._

"Oh no, I'm not letting you in." _please, my host, I can help, and you can choose whatever you do with me._ "I love it when a girl plays submissive. Meanwhile you'll twist me into something like the nickel-heads." _that's not fair_. "No thank you." _What other choice do you have? I am dependent on you to survive! Please, let me help you, let me give you a way to live through this night. I will not offer you my coin. Let me offer you my mind._ "No means no! I need an adult!"

"Harry, who are you talking to?" Butters asked. I sighed. "I have a devil in my head, and she's making me look crazy." He looked at me like I was really just crazy and I sighed again. I began flipping through the pages just scanning them slowly but faster than I can read, then I passed the book to Thomas, and he tucked it into his jackets inside pocket. I collected myself and my power then felt the cold slithery energy of necromancy. Grevane stood down stairs with an army of zombie behind him. I told Thomas to take Butters and Mouse and run. Burn the book if he has to.

I held up the empty envelope and warned Grevane to stay back or I'd burn the book. He called my bluff then I was covered in snakes. The pain was enough on it's own to take me down, but the weight of nearly anaconda sized snakes took me to the ground. I dropped the envelope then called fire magic to burn them off, but more just materialized to replace the ones I burned. One was able to sink teeth into my head, another bit at my face repeatedly. Then liver spots and Grevane were above me as I struggled.

Grevane picked up the envelope and looked in. "damn it, its empty. He must have given it to the other man with him or the mortician." Grevane snarled down at me still thumping the book on his thigh, then turned to liver spots and said, "he's all yours." Then he sent the scourge of zombies toward Thomas and Butters.

Liver spots produced a bag of goodies while I struggled against the snakes then locked some sort of manacles onto my wrists and began tenderizing me with a chain. He revealed that he was Cassius, some snake boy knight of the blackened denarius I wronged somehow, and he came to take Laciel. Well I just laughed, screamed in pain, let him cut my shirt open and then cut my abs open, until Butters tackled him like a little barely effective linebacker. They struggled, and sweet Butters tried to get him, but Cassius broke Butters nose with a head-butt, so Mouse broke his neck. The pain took me. Everything went black.

I dreamed I was back in the stark white interrogation room with the metal table in the center. I sat in one metal folding chair while Laciel, still in the Quasi-Murphy guise sat, much as Murph does in interrogations. She looked relaxed, cross-legged sideways in her chair, so one hand could rest on the back of the chair and the other could tap annoyingly on the metal table. It was part of her technique to annoy cooperation out of people and also make them think they board her. She looked at me with a lazy smile then up over my left shoulder. I turned in the chair to see me.

Well he wasn't me, we spoke once 4 years ago. He was my instincts. He wore a business suit like a real detective should; all light bluish grey with a silk white blouse, tucked in, the belt and tie matched the suit jacket exactly. His hair and beard were James Bond perfect (if 007 ever wore a beard), and the only hint of relaxation in his uniform was that his tie was a bit loose. He smiled a greeting at me while he stood, hands in pockets, leaning against the white brick wall.

"Another dream."

"Not precisely." Laciel retorted.

"Call it a meeting of the minds." White me said as he pushed off the wall and moved to the table. I looked down, I was black me. I had my favorite outfit, long gone from life but always there in my dreams. It was my black duster over a black western shirt, tucked into a pair of black jeans, worn into submission, and my black cowboy boots. I was the darkest thing in the room.

"I've said, all I'm going to say to her." I scowled back up to Laciel. "And I don't much like you either. You represent the vampire part of me."

"You don't get it. The incubus in you is a nearly mindless thing." He gestured to the other end of the table and I turned to see a sort of pink sea cucumber looking thing with silver beady little eyes that needn't blink as there were no eyelids, but clear flesh over the eyes, and the pink was the blood and organs visible through it. It had wispy little tentacles that thrashed and slapped the table, and it was big as me. I closed my eyes and willed it away then opened them to turn to white me. "I'm the one who deals with the important things, feeding, eating, sleeping… mating." He and Laciel exchanged a smirk.

"And seeking out power. I wondered why I didn't just stomp on the coin, or give it to Michael… you wanted her power."

"I did. I was tired of scraping by, watching enemies be willing to do anything to overcome us while you stayed weak as a matter of principal. I'm the one who wanted the winter mantle too."

"You've been talking to her behind my back."

"It's only fair, I invited her in. We have to be a good host."

"I didn't want to talk to her, I didn't want the temptation."

"Well I did. We are in agreement. I don't believe she should be allowed to run amok in your skull, redecorating with brimstone and pitchforks but we should use her, for what she offers."

"No. It's the right thing to do."

"You coward!"

"Excuse me?" I stood and nearly socked myself in the pretty face.

"That's right, you coward. So afraid of looking bad he's willing to die in vane, and let all the people he swore to protect, all the lives he could have saved, all his hard work and lonely years piss themselves away." I had a point.

"If I open myself to her I might not be able to shut her away." I said weakly, knowing White me was right.

"Its your mind, my host. You still believe in free will, do you not?" she chimed in. we both looked at her and I sighed.

"Then show me how I can stop them."

I just lay in shock a moment before I willed my body to heal then it was back to work. I changed out of the shredded clothes into the priest costume I had returned to the trunk. I got into the black slacks, which were a little short and then a collarino with sewn in white tab and cassock.

I patted Butters on the back for his heroism. Thomas was off giving Grevane a hard time of things, and I had a dark hollow to stop. I stole a few things from the Wild West museum and saddled up a dinosaur, then had Butters play his polka drum while we rode Sue to the party. Close to the campus I noted that National guardsmen had posted guard blocks. I tried to hop them rather than crush them, and we got to Kendall College in time to find the wardens arranged around a cluster of children and two women and two National Guardsmen, one fireman carrying the other.

Morgan was at the head, Luccio at the back, and Ramirez Yoshimo and Kowalski flanked the mortals. Zombies came at them by the dozens, pushing them back across the street towards an apartment building, surrounding them. They didn't see the car that was barreling toward them, either. I made Sue run faster, then leap over the formation to land on the hood of the engine and tear off the top of the car. Sue plucked the ghoul from the driving seat and ate him.

The formation filed into the apartment building, Morgan and Luccio stood at the door fighting off zombies while the three younger wardens went inside with the mortals. I let Sue go to town on the bulk of the crowd of zombies and heard the roar of an old Harley Davidson hog. I turned to see Murphy plow through zombies on her bike, before stationing it by the door to the apartment and dismounting.

She was remarkably well armed with drop holsters on each thigh with two extra mag pouches on each, her shoulder rig had two holsters, and each had big high caliber revolvers. Strapped to her back was a sawed off shotgun with handle over her left shoulder, and a katana with hilt over her right. Her little combat boots had the hollow handle of a k-bar sticking out of one of them.

My favorite part of the ensemble was that she was wearing the costume I bought her. She had black thigh high tube socks that were bungeed to a black garter belt and short black spandex shorts that barely covered much of her butt. Over that was a 3-inch long green plaid pleated skirt, her top was green plaid short puffy sleeves and a green plaid collar sewn onto a short solid black sweater vest. There was a green plaid bikini top that flashed when she took out her katana and spun around, cutting the head off a zombie then pulled out one of her drop guns and put three shots in another's head, blowing out the top back of his skull.

After Sue swiped some zombies away with her tail, I helped Butters down so he could continue the beat and we regrouped with the wardens. Mouse finally caught up, and savagely tore a zombie's head off on it's way down under his weight. "Karen, nice entrance."

"Not as dramatic as zombie dinosaurs. Damn that's an accurate costume. You really pass for a priest. I got you a birthday present." Karen said, punctuating with another trio of shots into another zombie's head. Mouse tackled another crushing its skull with his weight.

"Dio, Dresden, this beast is an abomination!" Luccio said, eyeing Sue with equal parts marvel and mortification.

"It's a necessity."

"It's necromancy."

"Reprimand me after this abomination saves our lives. In order to get close enough to the vortex without my life force being torn out of me, I have to surround myself with necromantic energy. Since the laws of magic explicitly states one can not animate a human, I figure a dinosaur wouldn't get my head lopped off." Karen slipped under me and moved around my waist, then stole one work boot at a time replacing them with something that rattled. I looked down at what she was doing, and excessive elation swelled in my chest, escaping out my manic grin.

She adorned me with an old western style gunslinger belt with sword loop on the left and holster on the right already occupied with a .44 revolver and loaded speed reloader. My feet were in snug new black cowboy boots exactly like the destroyed pair, but these added spurs. Then she brushed off the hood of my grey cloak and put a black ten-gallon hat on my head, and lastly pinned a silver sheriff badge on my chest. The badge was a funny detail but when I looked at it next to my pentacle I realized they were the same. The badge was a silver star inside a circle, and yes it said sheriff on it, but it didn't detract from what it really meant. She grabbed the white tab from my collarino and with a hard yank took it off and nodded.

"Happy birthday, Dirty Harry."

"Damn right." I pulled her into a classic movie magic kiss, but instead of a beautiful desert sunrise in the background, there was a zombie dinosaur slapping zombies with her tail, stomping them with her feet, and biting with her massive jaws, but only if they came near her.

"Awe, you guys look cool… I look like a little kid with a ridiculous drum suit." Butters wined.

"Don't knock it, you're a genius, and a hero. Waldo Butters, this is Wardens Morgan, and Luccio. Captain, Morgan, this is a friend, mortician, and my vitally important drummer, Butters."

"Enough of this, we need to stop the heirs of Kemmler, now." Morgan interjected.

"Yeah. I'll head to the center of that vortex, Murph, Butters, see what you can do to help here, but Butters, don't let that drum beat stop." Butters nodded then eagerly went inside. "My plan is to wait till someone starts drawing in the power of the Dark Hollow, then disrupt the spell so he gets the feedback."

"That's impossible," Morgan added. "I got close enough to see them when we went in for the children. There were several hundred animated corpses between us and them."

"What do you think the big Dinosaur is for? Sing-along songs?" Morgan looked like he was going to strike me but at Luccio's command he brushed inside. "I took out Grevane's second, Sue ate Corpsetaker's drummer, and so now all is left is those two, Cowl and his second."

"4 of them and five of us, though only two of us are experienced in this sort of fight. No offense Dresden, but you and the others are so inexperienced." Luccio said pensively.

"None taken, I'd rather be lazing on a beach right now."

"In Hawaii." Karen added. She noticed a mangled corpse standing back up to pursue us, but mouse beat her to attack, then returned to get an ear scratch from her.

"How will we know when they begin drawing in power." Luccio asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Then the vortex began funneling down into a thin tornado. "Well there, that's it." I gestured at the tornado. The ground bubbled with sick green light and Native American ghost warriors began to take form. Karen holstered her weapons and drew the shotgun, and then oddly enough, her shots were killing the ghosts.

"Rock salt and ghost dust loads." She answered my thoughts. Mouse was surprisingly effective as well. His saliva seemed to radiate blue light, and when he bit and slapped the specters, they felt it, and screamed. Their spears didn't seem to do anything to his furry hide, though I had to deflect a hatchet or two to keep from getting it buried in my skull. Luccio's blade was also curiously effective. I ran for Sue, and touched her flank to will her into action. I knew she could take them out, because she was made of the same stuff. When I turned, I spotted Corpsetaker emerge from under a veil, beating a drum with one hand, and attacking Luccio with the other. Karen and Mouse were too busy keeping the ghost horde off of her, to help. I ran for her and watched as Luccio managed to stab Corpsetaker in the gut with her sword aglow.

Both women went rigid then Luccio drew her sword, no longer glowing, while Corpsetaker looked up to me with confusion on her face. Morgan and Ramirez came out of the building and started clearing out the specters. "Come wizard, there is no time to waste."

"You're going to leave her there?"

"She is done for." Luccio sheathed her weapon and approached me. I put my hand on her cheek, and then kissed her. I could tell psychically that it wasn't the warden, more to the point that it was the mind that tried to invade mine so I focused on drawing in her life force, and focused on my desire to kill the Corpsetaker, and in the time of a kiss, I drew in all her power and life, then she dropped to the ground. I turned to heal the real Luccio, who was sadly trapped in the younger body, but as I began to heal her, Morgan howled, and then tackled me.

"Traitor! You killed her!" he howled at me with rancorous rage.

"Wait Morgan, the Corpsetaker, swapped bodies, Luccio is alive!" I covered my head with my arms as he pounded inhumanly strong punches into my face, throat and ribs.

"MURDERER!" He screamed, but I found it odd he hadn't just decapitated me. He was truly angered by the apparent loss of his captain.

"Morgan, Dresden is right, Luccio is alive." Rodriguez called from behind him, supporting Luccio's weight.

"LIES!" Morgan pulled me up by my collar and threw me into the wall so he could pick up his sword, then we locked into a soul gaze, and I realized Morgan didn't hate me, he feared me. He knew in his mind that I was a monster, incapable of reform, unable to ever be anything but a killer. He pursued me relentlessly to stop me before I could take another innocent's life.

"DONALD, stand down. I am the one who trained you, the one who took you in when your previous master grew tired of your temper." Luccio commanded weakly from her new body. I took the sword from her corpse and passed it to her, and then it glowed with power again, singing as it moved through the air. Ramirez put her on the ground, and I hurried to her side.

"DuMorne, made Elaine and me learn to heal each other… Elaine was always better, but I took your body's life force, the least I can do is use it to save your life." I explained as I put my hand over her ribs nearly covering all the lower ribs with one hand, then my other on the back, where her sword came through. I focused on the internal damage, and then let her go with a nasty scar. Luccio shuddered and blushed when I slipped my hands off her body. She stood and wobbled, but the pain was a dull throb now, manageable.

"Thank you Dresden."

"You're hurt, and I just left you there to die while I-" Morgan said slowly.

"It is not important. You never were much of a healer or medic any way."

"Oh, I get it, lover boy, how about you stay with her and the wounded, and I'll just take Ramirez and Kowalski to run interference with Cowl."

"I can, go, but Kowalski is gone. He was sitting on the ground when the ghosts came out, he didn't have a chance. Yoshiro's thigh is broken; the doctor gave the drum to one of the parents and said it had to keep playing, no matter what. When the ghosts started coming out the woodwork, the brilliant little guy drew a big circle around him and the kids, and then closed it. After Morgan and I cleared the ghosts out we came out here to help." Ramirez reported.

"Butters, you brilliant little hero!" I screamed triumphantly. "Saddle up partner. Lets wrangle us some necromancers!" I laughed and ran to the tyrannosaurus. Once we were on, sue took off. "Hey Ramirez-"

"Please, everyone else that lets me ride their dinosaur calls me Carlos."

"Thanks Carlos. And thanks for helping me with Morgan."

"I heard you trying to talk to Morgan and I figured, you'd just kiss him to death like you did Luccio if you were lying. I soul gazed her, and saw you were telling the truth. It was a fatal wound, but now its just scars. And you know, I was a kid at the time, but I was there when you were tried for the deaths of Justin DuMorne and Elaine Malory. It changed my life."

I choked up a bit, shut up. I willed Sue to go faster once we took our first turn. "You couldn't have known you were a monster. The way you cried, and threw up from the mere mention of her name… the way I could feel how afraid you were of Justin when you saw him die with your own eyes. No one should have blamed you. When you've gone before the council you've always been frank and earnest."

"I'm neither of those guys, just plain old Harry." I called back to him. "Hope I don't disappoint."

"Have I mentioned my god like sense of tolerance? And I'm brilliant, as well as skilled."

"And humble, I see."

"But I can't imagine how you pulled something like this off!"

"It was a lot of work but it was simple."

"Sure sure. But on the other hand, if we survive this, were going to be famous man! Cars, Girls, Money!"

"At least."

"So who will we hit first?"

"Grevane. He's Kemmler's favorite, surrounded with zombie watchdogs, knows his way around a chain. So lets shoot him."

"Hell yeah, lets shoot him!"

"Next is Cowl. He's the most powerful man I've ever gone up against. He might not even be a man, but he has an apprentice whose about as powerful but definitely human." I was thinking of our desk action and emphasized the sentence in such a way.

"She cute?"

"Very."

"Good. Then take out Grevane, you take Cowl, and I'll just turn on the Ramirez charm for his apprentice."

"Sounds like a plan," I laughed. We arrived at a clearing between the Mitchell museum and Kendall College administrative building, to find neat ranks of zombies. "That's a whole lot of zombies."

"And ghosts" Carlos added as I took Sue into a lunge. I formed a shield around us and let the dinosaur cut loose on the hordes of zombies, letting down my shield so Carlos could fling his green globules that dematerialized them. He pointed into the crowd and I willed Sue toward where ho pointed but she didn't tear herself away from the zombie slaughter.

"She's not responding, we'll have to jump." I cried out. Ramirez made a yipping sound I often hear in mariachi music. I rolled to my feet and raised my shield in time to deflect a strike from Grevane's chain. "It's over Grevane!"

"Fool," he snarled at me. "You should have joined me while you had the chance." He looked up at the hurricane as it came to about 10 feet from the ground. "I will take what is mine"

"You're insane! The backlash will kill you!" Carlos worked his way around the zombies to attack Grevane from behind. Grevane, however, was playing the same game. A pile of zombies assaulted me: biting, and tearing their nails into my flesh, and knocking off my new hat. I screamed and pointed my force ring then with a little will, blew all the zombies off my front. I could hear Grevane screaming 'mine' but I couldn't see him beyond his zombie guard.

I charged through them but was hit with another wave of reanimated foes. Then his ranting stopped, the zombies stopped swarming me, and I watched as his head separated from his body. "Sorry, I took so long. I had to dodge some bad guys."

"I can take a hit." I said, using my healing skills to regenerate the bites and cuts. Just when I started to like the priest outfit too, of course it's torn open and clawed at the seams. "At least he was insane. No death curse."

"Yeah, lucky us."

"I wouldn't say that." Cowl appeared behind us then flung an attack that blew Carlos into the bushes behind him. I was already low to the ground, and rolled a little. I popped up and threw raw force at him, which he countered. I raised my hand for another strike but Kumori grabbed my hair and pressed a knife to my throat.

"Keep him still!" Cowl commanded as he stepped up to draw in the power. He pulled Bob from his cloak and showed him the vortex. Bob's blue eyes burned cold, and his voice sounded empty. "Kill that man," Bob advised Cowl, but the necromancer quieted him and began the spell to draw in the power and I touched her hand that pressed the dagger to my neck. She shivered, I turned my face to her then she let the knife drop and pulled off her mask. She cut my throat, but not very deep. It healed quickly enough. We kissed, and at first I debated trying the kiss of death, but I knew she was not only a necromancer, but loyal to Cowl. She didn't care for me, she was drawn in by my power, so I drew in hers. Her pageboy haircut of black became white and translucent, then she went rigid and relaxed boneless in my arms. I looked up and called for Bob.

"Bob! Bob, you have to remember me. I gave you a name." the skull turned to look at me and shook. "Think Bob, remember me." He let one eye flick from blue to amber, then back to blue. A wink if I ever saw one. "BOB, you have my permission!"

Orange light flew from the skull and erupted into the air then vanished. Picnic tables were being thrown about; things were starting to look like there was a storm around us. I threw myself against Cowl's body in full tackle, then grabbed the skull and threw myself over Carlos to protect him. I raised my shield for all the good that would do. Then the backlash began tearing up the earth, and it all went dark.

When I woke up, Sue was wrapped protectively around us. Bob's amber lights fluttered back to his skull and he sighed in relief then went out. Carlos was still out when the Erlking came to me and commended my strength, courage, and arrogance, and then he to was gone. Bob's eyes lit up again and looked up at me as I stretched and surveyed my surroundings. "Hey Harry, how'd I do?"

"Great work, Bob. Thanks."

"Yeah well, apparently size does matter. I sure outlasted those zombies any way."

"You shielded us from the vortex with your body… I appreciate it." Bob sniffed with pride and shone brightly. I gathered Carlos into a fireman carry and we began walking back to the apartment building. Something moved in my vision, and I put up my arm just in time to grab it. My new hat came back. I laughed, put it on, and then continued the walk back. About half way there, Ramirez awoke and wouldn't let me carry him any farther. We strode back, looking cool emerging from the fog and decimated landscape.

Injun Joe had come and collected the wounded, leaving Morgan, Butters, and the civilians to greet us. Morgan explained that Luccio had been temporarily relieved of duty so Morgan was acting captain, so he handed me my first month pay and escorted Carlos back to wherever. Butters was thrilled with being a hero twice, I agreed to learn the guitar and Thomas said he might learn the drums or something too, so next year, we would help him defeat the Jolly Rogers for Oktoberfest.

Murphy was talking to one of the National guardsmen, the one who had been injured. He was interested in joining SI after what he had seen last night. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous though, but it was only natural that he would stare; she was sexy and yet still adorable with her long pigtails, even covered in ectoplasm.

Mouse looked miserable, and greeted me energetically all the same. We returned to Murphy's place and cleaned up and I checked the time; still enough to make it to my rendezvous with Mavra. Thomas came back and handed me the book, just as I was leaving. I hugged him and met with the black court vampire, gave her the book, then put a little fear of Dresden in her.

A week later, we were able to have our vacation in Hawaii. We built sand castles, Maggie buried daddy, and we saw fire dancers, frolicked on the beach, and made out in the sand a lot. As thanks for my Dirty Harry ensemble, which I loved, I got Murph a P-90. She loved it. We had to put it in a box of chocolates to get it into the mainland, but she didn't mind the chocolates either.

I made some repairs to my apartment, Thomas and I practiced our new instruments with Butters, and every now and again, Maggie and I stayed the night with Murphy, cuddling, relaxing, loving life… then I felt a queasy revelation. Someone was out there; someone who knew the end of the story and would stop at nothing to change it. And he seemed fixated on killing me specifically. I couldn't sleep; I couldn't enjoy our outing the next morning to the renovated Field Museum. I was afraid that any moment my wonderful life with Murph and Maggie, and Butters, and Thomas would end.


	3. Chapter 3

Well I sure had a full day today. First a warlock fleeing council custody was loosed on Chicago, so yours truly had to hunt him down and capture him, then we held the trial in some seedy warehouse on the docks, at which he was found guilty and executed. Then the gatekeeper tells me there is black magic afoot, via handwritten note, Ebenezer McCoy, my mentor and grandfather, tells me there's corruption in the senior council, and shortly after that, I'm asked to use my connections with the fairy court to figure out why the fairies aren't helping in our war against the vampires, and just when I think there's enough on my plate, someone tries to park their car in the back seat of my Blue Beetle. I managed to correct the spin of my car and just pop up onto the sidewalk instead of flip into the store front or roll into oncoming traffic, so thankfully only I was hurt. My head was split open, driver side caved in pinning me, and mangling my left leg. I tore myself out anyway, not wanting to be an easy target. It was a blue sedan, maybe a Honda civic or accord, but I didn't get the plates.

I flopped out the window, with little time to react to a gray Chrysler gunning for me as well. I jumped, hoping I would get on top of my Beetle, but instead I rolled over the top of the hard metal battleship of a car and rolled a little after hitting the ground. I looked blearily at the car and committed the plate to memory then dragged myself to the blue beetle and passed out on the sidewalk.

"Damn, Harry? Harry Dresden? What happened to you, boy?" Grayson, an old stereotype of a portly but strong good cop rushed to me from his police cruiser that he parked with lights on to redirect traffic away from my wreck. He got on his phone instead of radio, and just gave his location and said he had me half conscious and bleeding on the side of the road. He begged to call the EMT but winced from the answer. He asked me more questions but I couldn't really answer, I felt like my whole face was swollen, my arms and legs only obeyed me after coaxing, and Grayson pulled me into a stable upright position and checked my eyes with a flashlight. He kept patting my shoulder, when I tried to nod off, until an angel in blue jeans and white tank top with a French braid that came to her butt under a cubs ball cap and polarized aviators patted his shoulder. He left to his car and I noticed another uniform cop directing traffic.

"Harry, are you okay?" she put the back of her hand on my face, and the cold of her knuckles on my hot forehead was a welcome relief. My cut was sealed the swelling began to go down, and my bruises were already passed the ugly purple and were now yellow blotches all over my left side. The broken ankle and gashed leg were set and still closing. All in all, I was doing all right.

"Here in Hazard County, we don't much cotton to hit and run automotive assaults."

"You're talking funny, Harry, you been drinking?" Karen's a cop, so I didn't take offense. Instead I opened my mouth and licked my new fangs. She snorted and shook her head.

"Uncle Jesse is gonna be mighty cross someone beat up the General Lee."

"Yeah, yeah, Harry, be normal, a sec, if you're so loopy you can't answer my questions, I'll have to take you to a hospital."

"Sorry, Murph, just laughing to keep from crying."

"What happened?"

"Blue Honda T-boned me, spun me, didn't get his plates, but then a grey Chrysler hits me, I rolled off his hood… I got his plates but they're all jumbled in here." I pointed at my head. "Lemme…" Murph handed me her notebook after jotting down what I said, and I put the letters and numbers down. "Not sure if that's the right order. I can always ask the demon in my head what she saw."

"Maybe once you've recovered. I don't want her taking advantage." Karen responded. She knew about Laciel. After I went on a date with Laciel and Maggie to the Aquarium thinking Laciel was Murphy the whole time, I told Murph what a great time it was, and how we should do things like it more often and she calmly explained to me that I was insane. So I told her about the demon in my head that likes to look like her, and she tried to believe me. In the least she humors me. "So what have you gotten into this time?"

"Hells bells, Murph, I only got the case half an hour ago, and I've already had an attempt on my life."

"You sure it was deliberate?"

"If I were human, I'd be dead." I grumbled. Karen shivered but tried not to express her concern openly. She helped me into her car, grabbed Maggie's car seat and a cardboard box of things out of my trunk, and then threw them in the backseat of the car.

"Lets get you home." Murphy began to say, and then rocked her head back like a teenager being told to do chores. "Wait, there are reports to file. I'll grab Grayson." After Grayson finished his report he asked about the bloody cloak. I showed him my fangs and said I sometimes do monster cosplay, and it was all fake blood. He laughed about young folks and weird hobbies then went on his way. "You're getting better at lying. I don't like it."

I shrugged. "There's a lot I need to tell you about."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you too." She said slowly. "You first." The car ride home I explained the day I had. It was kind of awkward around the part where we just beheaded a human in Chicago, but she dropped it as best as she could. Meaning she would try to find evidence and prosecute if she could, but didn't feel like arguing with me about it. When we got back I kissed my little girl and sat on the couch then let Karen clean the blood off my robes and cloak while I talked to Maggie.

My apartment had changed significantly since last year. I moved the bookshelves into a corner, stacked on top of each other so they reached the ceiling, and moved the dresser that was converted into a TV stand when I got the new bed, into the corner in front of the book shelves. The punching bag was moved to the lab, and one of the couches broke under Thomas's shattering sexcapades, so we just threw it away. In the new space, on top of the freshly carpeted floor, was a white and chrome drum set, a stand with a white base, and black guitar sharing it, and an old beat up acoustic guitar, all bought from a pawnshop that specialized in instruments. The rugs from the floor were hung on the walls, and the newly linoleum covered kitchen floor took a rug from the living room, and the one that was there went by the fireplace where Mouse slept. Murphy hadn't been around much so she didn't know about the repairs. The door had been replaced thanks to Thomas, who was surprisingly good at carpentry, and after replacing my windows I decided to bar the ones that faced the street.

"So what's with all the changes?" Karen asked, sitting by me with water, painkillers, and a sandwich. Bless her. I took a bite, the pills and a swig, then settled into the remaining couch, a rickety wooden futon that wasn't rickety before my brother moved in. a while back Karen and I saved Billy the werewolf from marrying a fairy. In the course of the rescue it was brought to my attention just how much Karen meant to me, which was a big problem. We kissed at the wedding, but it wasn't like any other kiss we shared, it meant something. Since then she would try to suggest we separate, she wouldn't let me feed the fun way any more, and she'd have convenient excuses not to be around. I was starting to think she didn't like me.

"I've had a little time to myself lately, so I decided to renovate. The carpet is a hell of a lot cheaper than rugs, I've found out, and I had to fix things around this place any way. I promised Butters we would join his band, so we have practice here. My neighbors are deaf and the tapestries mute a lot of the sound in here." I tried not to sound mad at her but duh we have a creepy psychic link. She looked pained but resolved not to act like it. She spoke to Maggie who at two years old, repeated everything she heard, and liked to pretend she contributed to our conversations with the few solid phrases she kept in her repertoire. Oddly enough she knew the appropriate times and places to say them and really did contribute at times. To Maggie, Murphy was Muffy, which I loved to call her, as it was close to buffy. And Thomas found just as much humor in it for different reasons so he called her that too.

Thomas came out of the bathroom in tight blue jeans and nothing else, saw Muffy was over and quickly took a blue cotton tee from his trunk and dawned it. I was tall and skinny, with broad shoulders and long arms, while Thomas looked muscly but boyish and lean. All in all he appealed to a wider crowd than I. and Muffy was one of them. She smiled and admired the view then looked at me and gave me the 'what?' face. "Hey, Muffy, what's new?"

"Its Lieutenant Murphy to you pretty boy." She flirted!

"Thank you for the compliment." Thomas FLIRTED BACK!?

"Nothing unusual: strange murders, black magic, rampant monsters."

"Attempted vehicular homicide of your friendly neighborhood wizard." I added.

"Oh yeah? Thomas asked, chugging MY water on his way to the fridge then bringing a coke for him and me. Okay I did want a coke, actually. Muffy snorted probably feeling my unguarded angst.

"You got more trouble blow into town Harry?" Thomas asked as we clinked cans. It's a tradition from when kings were passed a glass of wine they would clink drinks so their wine spilled into another person's cup, so if they were poisoned everyone else would be too. Somehow it became a good luck ritual and now, Thomas and I just did it, every beer or soda freshly opened, we habitually cheers. I doubt my brother would ever poison me, but habits die hard.

"I haven't had time to check into it yet."

"Well, let me know if you need me. I gotta go." He kissed Maggie goodbye, she said 'be safe, tommy.'

"That was awkward. You not getting along?" Karen asked.

" I don't know, he was having trouble finding work, then all of a sudden he stopped coming home, he still helps with Maggie but, he and I aren't ever in the same place at the same time any more."

"You worried about him?"

"Well yeah, he's really well fed lately. Meanwhile, I'm starving." I might have put emphasis on the phrase, or maybe the cpl drove my point home, but Karen winced.

"You know, when Mom and I weren't talking, you got us to get over it and I opened up to her about work, and she told me more about dad. I had read the black cat cases when I took over SI but hearing it from Mom was amazing. Were closer now than ever and it's because I listened to you. Why don't you listen to yourself some time?"

"It's a guy thing, it doesn't work the same."

"So you just brood in the dark about it?" she shook her head and put Maggie on the floor. "What are you going to do now?"

"Make some calls, wait till sundown, do some magic."

"Mind if I take Maggie to the park? There are usually kids at this time."

"Sure." I rubbed my neck then stood. The injuries were completely gone, and thanks to the painkillers I felt great. Karen packed a bag for Maggie while I took Maggie to pee then handed her over. Within a couple of months Maggie completely accepted potty training. As long as we made her go regularly she wouldn't wet herself, so she no longer wore diapers. Her baby bag was so small now, just change of clothes, a couple diapers and wipes, then cute little sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, and snacks. Karen added bottled water, and grabbed our picnic blanket then led Maggie up the stairs to the car. Mouse wined until I agreed to let him go too.

I called the summer knight, then everyone I knew in the supernatural scene; Morty the ectomancer, Billy the werewolf, Butters the mortician, and Ivy the archive, a ridiculously adorable little girl with all the knowledge of the ages. Nothing. No sign of the dark and a meeting with summer tomorrow at noon. Well shoot. So I consulted Bob about using little Chicago; an exact scale replica of most of Chicago and some of the lake area. It was made of parts of the real thing, and extensively researched to ensure it was accurate. This sort of thing was a powerful thaumaturgic tool.

My basement changed a bit too. I still had the wall of built in shelves but the 4 wooden dining tables I had in two rows were pushed together and centered so I could move better and little Chicago took over two of them on the far end. In one corner was the punching bag, the other had my 3-foot diameter ring under which, Laciel's coin was hidden, and centered was a dresser that had a granite top that had a sink like bowl centered in it. There was a glass bowl inside so I didn't use the actual granite sink. Above that was a shelf with African fertility goddesses acting as candleholders and bookends, and among his harem of buxom bookends was Bob the skull.

We discussed the complexity of the model then looked it over for flaws to ensure I didn't blow myself up, then I set to work cleansing myself for the application of it. I would look for a ton of fear, which usually went hand in hand with black magic, and it was easy enough for a white court vampire to sniff out anyway… but then the damn phone rang. It was Molly, claiming to be in some sort of trouble, calling from jail. At some point in my extensive cleansing ritual Karen and Maggie had returned, and were playing with mega blocks in the other room. When the phone rang Karen rushed out to answer or silence it, but it was too late and I was upset. She loaded Maggie up into the car when I agreed to bail Molly out and insisted on driving since I might still be concussed and it was her car any way. I didn't argue.

When we got there I couldn't help but notice a white sedan following us, who parked away from us enough to seem innocuous but still able to observe us. Muffy noticed the same thing and indicated so as she helped Maggie out and walk up to the police station. We got inside and Molly seemed a bit perplexed. I now had a pet wooly mammoth and wife and kid, in the three years that I had been out of her life. I was surprised too; let me tell you, Molly was rebellious, but now looked like a Goth rock band music video.

"Long time no see, Harry." She said with her speech impeded by the metal bar in her tong.

"Funny, doesn't look much like you're in jail to me, Molly." I said with speech a little impeded by my new fangs. She cocked her head to the side and looked intently at my mouth. Then she looked at Mouse who had taken a protective position over Maggie, who stood holding his fur protectively.

"When did you get a dog?" "Two years ago, so you gonna tell me why you tried to manipulate me into coming here?" "I should apologize. What breed is he?" she tried to pet him but he growled. Odd. Maybe his protective instinct over Maggie kicked in or something. "Paleolithic Shepherd. And he wants to know why too." Admittedly I took advantage of his intimidation tactic. She backed up and fidgeted a bit.

"I'm sorry, I just figured if I could talk to you in person-"

"You could flutter your eyelashes and get me to do anything."

"That's not it."

"Oh yeah? Then enlighten me, Molly."

"I didn't mean it to be a bad thing."

"Manipulation is always a bad thing."

"But I need your help. My friend is in trouble."

"My kind of trouble?" she nodded. I looked at Karen and she just shrugged, trying to stay out of it until she had more information. That's another of her cop specific traits I know and love. Being objective. She knows I'm incapable of being objective when a pretty face is involved. And children; like the oldest child of my best male human friend. She crossed her arms and cop faced Molly. "What's this friend's name?"

"Nelson."

"He your age?" she didn't have much of a poker face, and I could look inpatient with the best of them.

"He's two years older."

"Well tell your legal adult friend Nelson, he can call a bail bondsman or his own family, I'm taking you home."

"He can't they said they won't come till tomorrow, and he has no family, he's an orphan." Well damn. Until 3 years ago I had no family myself. All of a sudden I found my brother and harem of half sisters, my grandfather, and acquired a daughter and a dog. Hell, if I was allowed to say it, I even got a girlfriend too.

"Well damn." I said, Muffy snorted. "What's legal adult friend, Nelson in for?"

"He didn't do it."

"Lots of folks got to jail for that, what were the other charges?" Muffy scoffed. Molly didn't like that but looked down.

"Aggravated assault, but he couldn't have done it!" she blurted out quickly. I looked at Muffy and she opted to hide her expressions with her giant aviators despite it being twilight.

"Why didn't you call your dad?"

"He's not a fan of Nelson, and mom doesn't know about him." I sighed. That could only mean one thing. I baled legal adult, boyfriend Nelson out. Muffy smiled and shook her head. While I was paying and doing paperwork for his release, Muffy got Mouse to be cordial with Molly, and the two introduced themselves properly.

Legal adult boyfriend Nelson, lets just call him Nelson for short, was skinny, tall, dark hair light eyes, handsome, dressed like James Dean on a budget, and had gauged ears, a nose ring, and tong ring of his own. They hugged when he came out but she turned her cheek to his kiss, and he took a second to get the clue. He let go and fidgeted then was introduced to me. "Thanks, I guess."

"Sure, sure, tell me about this trouble you're in."

"Can't I gotta be somewhere."

"Yeah, here, telling me what happened." He took a stance Karen does sometimes and she picked up on it immediately. She came to my side and had a relaxed posture that looked harmless enough but was something I feared being on the receiving end of.

"Or else what?"

"Or else I get you put right back in there without chance of bail. So go ahead and throw that punch buddy, I'll lay you out and get my money back." He thought about it, looking me up and down. He operated under the assumption that I didn't know how to fight, but looking at me, he realized skill wasn't the only factor. In my tight dark grey shirt with a polaroid of storm troopers at a baseball game with their masks painted in their team colors, and tight black jeans tucked into combat boots, I looked in shape enough. I looked heavy, as I was about half a foot taller than him, and best yet, I had a woman on my arm that looked in shape as hell and limber enough to put him in holds he wouldn't learn from only one martial art. He licked his lips nervously.

"You can't do that."

"But I can." Muffy showed him her badge and he relaxed. I rolled my eyes.

"Nelson, he wants to help you." Molly added

"Yeah right."

"He'll believe you."

"Why should he?"

"Because I'm a vampire." I smiled broadly, flashing my new fangs and sparkling white smile. My eyes turned from storm cloud grey to metallic silver, casting back any light like a bicycle reflector. He stepped back, and I pulled him by his cheap leather jacket sleeve back to the car. We all buckled in, Molly buckled Maggie in, and then I checked for our tail. He was still there. "Where to?"

"O'Hare."

"Groovy. Now spill."

"Well I'm not sure what happened. I was in the bathroom at Splattercon-"

"Splattercon?"

"Oh, it's a horror movie convention."

"Jeez okay, go on."

"Well I was sitting in the stall when I heard someone come in, the door is really squeaky, but the guy came in and starts screaming."

"What guy? You know him?"

"Clark Pell. He lent us his movie theatre close to the convention for the big screenings."

"Okay, go on."

"Well I finished up and came out to see what happened and Clark Pell was there on the floor beaten bad, bleeding and bruised. The cops come in and I'm the only one there, only one who came or left beside Clark, so I get the rap. Windows are too small to fit through, bathrooms sound proof and the one door is noisy as hell. It sounded like two people to me so he didn't do it to himself… it was like a ghost did it."

"Well, it sounds up my alley all right. I'll drop you off at the airport, take Molly to her parents, and head to Splattercon to investigate, savvy?"

"MY PARENTS!?" Molly protested.

"You lied to me, Molly. I'll check out your illegal boyfriend's story, but you need Jesus… better yet, your father. End of story." Karen stifled another signature snort then after a long silence hit me with a bombshell.

"Harry, I need to break up with you." She blurted out.

"Where did that come from?" I arched an eyebrow at her.

"I've been trying to for days, but you keep steering things away, now there's no distractions, I had to do it." I punched the dashboard. "Don't take it out on my car."

"I'll take it out on whatever I want. I'll take it out on a frickin shrub if I want to, an abandoned building, or better yet; if you ever date again, I'll find him, and throw your freaking car at him," I ranted. "on fire!" I added as an afterthought, my eyes went silver and the passengers in the back seat smelled rich with fear. "I'm a big boy, I'll do whatever the hell I please!" I tried to back down my temper and sulked into my seat.

"So this is how you exercise your adulthood? Throwing a temper tantrum because someone took away your bottle?" she baby talked the last part and Maggie backed her up with 'temper temper, daddy'.

"That's not it" I brooded. White court invented brooding, and I can brood with the best of them.

"That's exactly it. I'm food. Comfort food. I'm an ice-cream Sunday." Murph tried to patiently explain to me.

"With whip cream," I added on reflex.

"And a cherry on top." She nodded with a smile.

"And little pink sprinkles." I tried to keep her smiling. Maybe I could cute then sexy her out of leaving me.

"Off subject." She said firmly, waiving a hand. Nope. "Point is, I'm food and one day you'll get tired of ice-cream. I want to be more. I want to be a wife, I want to have children, and if I have any hope of making it happen I need to act now, not when you get tired of me and I'm old and infertile." She risked a look at me, to see my brooding face.

"What about Maggie?" I gestured at the little girl in the car seat between Molly and her boyfriend. 'What about Maggie?' my daughter echoed.

"I love Maggie, I won't be gone, and nothing else will change." She sounded like she was going to cry. "You're my friend, Harry, and I'll always be there for you…" her voice cracked. If it hurts don't do it, damn it! "I just won't sleep with you any more. We worked like that for years before. It'll just go back to being that way."

"No"

"Well it's already over, you don't have a choice."

"You don't have a choice." I replied rather darkly, eyes aglow again. Okay they don't glow as much as they reflect but you get the idea, its creepy, like those videos of monsters in the dark and the light on the camera reflects back, making big glowing yellow eyes on film. I looked creepy.

"Is that a threat?" Murphy's cop voice came out in full force.

I blew out my breath and counted to ten Mississippi. "No. Its just that you're so smart, and sexy and you can take a beating and get up and say 'that's all you got?' and kick some ass, and that's so cool. Then you're compassionate, and motherly, and adorable, and I love…" Oopse. "…That about you."

"Wow, usually guys tell me what a bitch I am when I leave them." We both smiled painfully. "Nothing is changing between us, just the sex."

"It's not about the sex. I can live without the sex, but do you have to go out with other guys?"

"That's kid of the point. How will I fall in love and have a family without first dating other men?"

"Have your family with me." I blurted out without thinking. After a long pause she had to clear her throat.

"You know we cant. If we fall in love, it could kill you. Aside from that, I'll grow old and die, and you will look exactly the same and live for centuries. It's better this way. So drop it."

 _My host?_ Laciel appeared in my lap as her usual pseudo-Murphy form. I jumped in my seat then willed us to the interrogation room.

"Don't do that."

"My apologies but she has a point. I believe you're dangerously in love with Karen as it is. If she falls for you, it would be dangerous."

"I don't care"

"Well I do. If you die I do. I cannot let you endanger yourself."

"Then find a way I can kill my incubus." I snarled at her.

"Are you certain, my host? You depend so much on that part of you it would weaken you greatly."

"I'd rather be weaker and human than be a powerful monster." She looked almost sad, then smiled compassionately at me; that same smile Karen wears when she sees me hurt and tries to be strong.

"You would, wouldn't you? I'll consider it. There is another option, my host."

"What?"

"Well, if you feed on something other than lust, and condition yourself so Karen is the opposite of your preferred prey, you would not instinctually feed on her. You're already making great progress in controlling your hunger as it is."

"Yeah, with your help, I worked out the kiss of death, and I don't feed on her every time we touch any more."

"Indeed, my host. Further more, I've seen white court elders feed on a room without touching anyone, if the atmosphere is thick enough with the desired emotion. He fed on fear, and did terrible things to incite fear in his prey so he needn't even touch them to feed. And unlike lust, your victim pool is broader. You can feed on males as well as females, even creatures."

"Sounds evil."

"Please, consider it. When up against the dark so often, the people you save and your enemies will be heavy with fear. It's a noble mitigation of so terrible a thing, in my opinion." I looked at her, across the table looking subservient. I knew what she wanted. But on the other hand she had aided me well enough so far. As long as I kept her locked up… or thought I kept her locked up, I could use her help. Yeah right.

"Beat it. I'm tired."

"As you wish my host."

"Were here. Chez Carpenter." Muffy nudged my shoulder.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, you freaked out like a cat jumped on you, then passed out. I thought someone shot you or something. We took the boy to the airport then I brought the girl to the address on her drivers license."

"Why'd…"

"… Because she wouldn't tell me." I looked back at Molly. So this is what Maggie would be like in 15 years? Lord give me strength.

"Yeah, I'll walk her to the door, on second thought come with; I'll need a human shield when Charity sees me and Molly looking like that."

"She's hell in heels eh?" Muffy laughed as she parked the car.

"No… more like Heaven's righteous furry in work boots." Murphy snorted and got out the car, and took Maggie out her seat. Maggie had dozed in the car and woke up in Murphy's arms then asked if it was breakfast. Murphy laughed and told her no. The thought of less Murphy time was aggravating. Mouse wined and pushed his head on my leg as we walked, in doggie comforting fashion. We rang the doorbell and immediately a ruckus of feet on stairs met our ears. When the door swung open, a little blond girl answered and two more girls could be seen descending the stairs. A big boy, roughly Molly's size but thick like a high school football player picked up the girl from the door.

"Molly!" "Hiya Hobbit. Harry, you remember Hope? She's seven now, then Amanda, and Alicia." Alicia was the only non-blond daughter and was the second oldest of the girls, at 12 years old. "Hiya bill" Amanda said to me. I rolled my eyes. Muffy laughed. "Hey Daniel, you remember Harry." "Is it Halloween where you've been staying?" he replied. Another boy came down the stairs after the girls had made it to the door. He waited in the crowded doorway to be introduced. "Hiya, Mathew, you remember Harry." "Hiya, Matt." "Mister, Dresden, sir." Mat replied. "You gonna let us in or what?" Molly chastised the horde blocking the door. They got out the way and as we all entered, Charity came to the stairs and surveyed the horde then retreated before anyone really noticed.

She and Michael came back in matching lumberjack fashion: work boots, blue jeans, white shirts, red flannel button ups. And while Michael toted a duffel bag, I knew contained his sword amorachius, Charity held a boy just a year older than Maggie, who looked like he was fighting sleep tooth and nail. Michael dropped his bag and rushed to hug his little girl. "Daddy!" Molly protested, but she hugged him back. He shushed her then stood back and realized how she looked. I enjoyed the look of creeping worry on his face. Its sick, but I figured that look was going to hurt Molly worse than anything I could yell at her.

"Margaret Katherine Carpenter, what have you done to your… your…" "Yourself" I suggested. "Yourself." He accepted the suggestion. "your body is your temple child, and now it's marred with ink and metal! And your clothing hardly seems appropriate… or am I too old?" He extended his hand to me, and I reluctantly took it. I love Michael like a brother, but he might feel Laciel on me and I couldn't bear to face him as enemies.

"Even I think she looks ridiculous, but I'm not so friendly with fashion myself. But let he who never tie-dyed a shirt cast the first stone." I shrugged. He laughed.

"it is good to see you again Harry. And who is this?" he looked fondly on Maggie. She beamed at him and said 'Maggie Destin' "that so? You never told me you had a little one."

"She showed up on my doorstep one day." I shrugged. "Margret Mary Dresden. Susan's her mom, but she's in the wind. You remember Karen Murphy."

"Chicago Police, Special Investigations, yes. She's helped me out a couple times." Michael shook Karen's free hand with a smile.

"When you said you had a big family I was thinking 3 not 7!" Karen Laughed.

"And when you said you had a little girl to live for, I never imagined her to be Dresden's." I looked at Murphy. Maggie was undoing her braid so she could pile it on her own head like a wig.

"We were caught in a dead end, surrounded by demons summoned by some wannabe sorcerer that didn't even realize what the spell was for. I was investigating him already, and came with a warrant and he just dropped out of nowhere and helped me vanquish the demons and arrested the sorcerer." Karen explained.

"But not without a foot chase, some impressive swordsmanship and singing the ninja turtles theme song out of tune." Michael laughed. Now she was fighting crime with my friends?

Meanwhile Molly was being scolded by Charity with Daniel as backup until a firm look from Charity told him to put the kids to bed. He complied obediently; giving Karen a last look that I use to give pretty girls when I was 16. Then it was my turn to bear Charity's wrath. "is this who you've been with? The vampire?"

"So what if it is?" Molly said while I vehemently denied all allegations.

"Do not take that tone with me, young lady, you are my child, and are clearly incapable of making sound decisions." She looked Molly up and down. "look at you! You look like…"

"Frankenhooker." I suggested. Charity and Molly both glared at me.

"Sorry, he has a condition. The medical term is 'asinine'." Muffy told the ladies, giving me a similar glare. "I'm Karen." She extended her hand to Charity. "Dresden was just driving her home. She called him for a favor, he saw her and dragged her here." Charity didn't look happy but she wasn't angry either.

"Ladies, I'm leaving. I would like to come home and find the two of you have reconciled. It would make me feel more at ease knowing I have a whole family to return home to." Michael added. Charity and Molly looked ashamed and hugged Michael. He picked up his bag and nodded for us to go outside. We graciously followed.

"You got a dog too eh?" Mouse extended his paw to shake Michael's hand with a doggie grin. Michael agreed, let him sniff him then roughed up his fur.

"His name is Mouse."

"he's a foo dog, eh?"

"You know about them?

"Sure, Yoshiro talked about seeing one once. Took pictures with them. This one looks mixed with a Caucasian shepherd but he still has the aura of a foo dog." Michael smiled at the dog. "good demons"

"There's such a thing?" I asked. I knew foo dogs were called demons but I thought it was a broad term relating their power to something similar, but Michael doesn't play that way, he calls things what they are.

"Harry, I know you have one inside of you. A fallen angel of the blackened denarius." Gulp. "I saw you save my son from picking up the coin. But I can't feel the coin on you. Which one is it?"

"Laciel."

"web weaver, temptress, seductress… perfect match for you." He laughed. I looked ill. "hey, you're a good man, Harry. I trust you to do what's right, and give the coin to the church, and renounce your power to wield the power God has gifted you instead."

"what is that?"

"faith, the sword… you would still be a vampire as well I presume."

"I'm working on a cure for that… I don't exactly love being a vampire right now."

"then what are those fangs?"

"Scare tactic. Don't knock it, works on children and singing woodland creatures." He shook his head. "so what's with the lightning in there?"

"Molly was arrested. Possession."

"She was possessed?"

"Marijuana and Ecstasy."

"Ouch"

"She had community service, but Charity added so many restrictions until Molly dropped out of school and left home." Michael whispered "got a boyfriend." To me.

"Yeah, Nelson? Sweet kid. Just bailed him out for aggravated assault." I snarked.

Michael looked pissed but swallowed it, shook his head and took a deep breath. "Is something going on?"

"Hard to say, I'm checking it out after this."

"Is Molly involved?"

"We shall see."

Michael nodded. "May I ask you a favor?"

"Anything."

"Straighten them out."

"Tall order."

"I know you can do it."

"Wait, I know this part, 'have a little faith?' you're asking a vampire with a demonic ride-along to have faith?" Michael shrugged and smiled at me.

"Will you do it?"

"Yes." I sulked. He patted my shoulder, Maggie's head, and shook Karen's hand then got into his jeep to leave. Molly had emerged from the house and looked at us hopeful-eyed and I sighed rolling mine. Muffy smiled up at me. "What?"

"You really do have an evil Karen in your head. It's just so… but truth is stranger than fiction I guess."

"Yeah, yeah, lets go to freaking Splattercon eh?"

We arrived and were forced to register at Splattercon, and chat with a tired mousey looking woman. She smiled and flirted with me and complimented my fangs then we took our polite leave to head for the crime scene. Two sexy co-eds in vampire cosplay stopped me and said my look was awesome. Murphy snorted and went to the ladies room, while I fished out my dentist's card. "Well, I'm a real vampire but nobody ever believes me." They giggled but I gave them the shiny silver look and they stopped cold. The lighting helped. There were blue jells over every other light fixture casting a colder light spectrum that made white pale and Karen's Irish ass ghostly. My eyes reflected cold silver light, and after a flicker of fear and apprehension, I felt the girls get curious then lustful. "I feed on lust and fear, not blood; life energy, you see. I got so tired of the scoffs that I found someone willing to give me permanent fangs. A girl chipped my tooth a few years back," I indicated the left front tooth that Karen chipped when she thought I was involved in the death of one of my friends she was investigating. "So the dentist filed these down so they looked even, then added porcelain to these just a little to make them pointier." I indicated my top incisors It looked fairly natural actually, she did a good job. I could stick a fingernail between my top front incisors and bottoms but if anything, eating had been made easier, and my speech wasn't hindered as badly as if I got a tong ring. The girls took the card and tittered then one gave me her number before the two took off casting sneaky looks back at me. Eyeing me. If I wanted to continue to eat lust this was my demographic.

"Hey, if it ain't the consultant guy… thinks he's a wizard." "Rawlins! An authority figure eh?" "And you expect me to believe you're an innocent bystander?" we commented on each other's Splattercon nametags. "I had a feeling you'd be around soon enough. Where's little Cary?" Rawlins asked. I was confused.

Karen emerged from the ladies room with Maggie changed into another cute ensemble invented by Marion. This footie pajamas looked like she was wearing those converse sneakers that come up to your knees, with pink ribbon shoelaces, white leggings, then pink tulle bustle skirt, and pink corset, then black arm length fingerless gloves that each of Maggie's perfectly manicured (by Thomas) pink painted fingers poked through, with pink ribbon laces, and the white fabric covered her arms shoulders, and hood, with black lining inside the hood. Marion really enjoyed making these things I figured.

"She didn't wet herself, it's just so arctic in here and I forgot a jacket for her." Karen had dawned her jacket that I got her, which she just left in the car forgotten for the longest time. It was made to look like the cute bastard child between a dress and a petticoat. It was lined with silk and the outside was green plaid flannel with a leather belt, and leather flaps on the breast pockets. She grabbed it out the car when we got there saying she felt a chill, but Molly and I were fine. Molly, Rawlins and I traded looks then chalked it up to menopause or something and moved on. "Molly, could you take Maggie, while we investigate the crime scene?"

"Sure, there's a kids area actually. We have toys and things to climb on, and play happy shows." She laughed. She looked like she missed her siblings. She passed us a map and pointed where we were and how to get to the kids place and took the dog, the baby bag and toddler and left.

"Is that little Cary Murphy?"

"Rawlins. How have you been?" Muffy replied.

"Endangered. Mama Rawlins might loose her baby boy yet."

"How so?"

"My soon to be ex wife is going to kill me when I get home. Its already late, my relief called in sick, and I still got shopping to possibly not be able to do on my way back."

"Must be tough. But hey divorce isn't that bad, unless you have a sexy brother to marry your ex. I really wish you drank, that's how I got over mine."

"Well first the damn thing needs to be final, then I'll gladly take it up, if you think it'll help."

"Damn, I know she's the mother of your children and you love her, but she's cold hearted. You were together before you joined the force but you were a cop before you got married. She knew what was in store but now she'd mad that you have a job to do?"

"You're an angel. So this is SI business now?"

"Not officially, but if Dresden says it is, I want to take over. That means more time with the boys for you." She winked, poking him in the bicep.

"Well in that case, I can't let you in, it might contaminate the crime scene."

"Damn, Rawlins, really?"

"Sorry Cary, procedure. You can respect that."

"Yeah, but I don't have to like it. So tell me what happened."

"Well I was here in this spot the whole time, and the security cameras confirm, only the boy and the old man came in or out. I hear something like screaming, which the walls are all soundproof so it must have been loud. I check in the door and the man looked like someone took a sledgehammer to him. The kid was there but he wasn't bloody or bruised, didn't seem out of breath, he looked scared, but not of me, of the situation. He didn't do it but I had to do things by the book… but sometimes the book don't do nobody justice. That girl… the girlfriend?"

"she says he didn't do it. Says it was something spooky." Rawlins snorted then looked at Karen then to me.

"Poke your head in, don't step inside."

"thank you."

"you're an officer and a gentleman." I exclaimed as I prepared the sight and peeked inside. I wanted to scream just like the women in the horror movies, the walls were splattered with terror and pain, and the mirror bore a shadow of someone enjoying every second of it. I watched the assault play out like an old grainy film but saw no attacker, just the silent shadow in the mirror. I put the sight away and still felt the fear in the room. It clung to me like a grimy film and infused itself into me after a while. I shivered, feeling filthy but I think this was what Laciel meant by abundant enough to eat without touching. If I were on a battlefield surrounded by this feeling I would be strengthened by it, and feed on the life energies of my enemies, killing them without lifting a blade. And that excited me.

"you look sick." Karen whispered to me caringly.

"I am-" I spun and entered the ladies room, then puked in a stall, cleaned up, and then came back out. "It's weird alright. Something came out here, specifically to feed on the old man. It enjoyed watching him cry and bleed, and scream… it got off on it, and fed on his fear."

"another white?"

"I'd say a phobophage is more likely. It's a number of entities that eat fear. Has no choice in the matter, but they don't mind, they love it."

Karen shivered and held her arms, at first I thought it was in reaction to what I said but then I felt it too. "crap. Karen is a clue."

"I am? Why?"

"People of faith notice these things earlier. Karen might not go to church but she's a believer. She thought it was freezing in here when it was fine, now look at her teeth chattering. That cold ain't weather, its death approaching." I said gravely before the lights went out and people started to scream.

Karen and Rawlins flicked on flashlights instinctually fast, Karen told Rawlins to help people find their way out, she began calling for everyone to grab a wall and slowly follow her voice, making sure to help anyone they see or feel, to stand up and follow the wall too. I made my pentacle light up, and then rummaged into my pocket for the sheriff badge Karen got me. I had etched some enchantments into it so that one thing it did was cast a light similar to my mother's pentacle. I pinned it on Rawlins willing it to light and then extended my wizard sense to find where the murk was coming from.

"What the hell is going on?" Rawlins asked.

"Magic darkness. It looks like the lights are all still on, but aren't lighting up the room." Karen answered.

"That's right, it's called murk, and is useful when you summon things that don't like light."

"you think a practitioner did this?"

"most likely." I said grimly. I was afraid for Maggie, but murk was hard to spread over a large space. She might not even be in the dark at all, and Mouse stayed with her, so she was safe from a lot of things. I took a deep breath hearing but not listening as Rawlins gathered an old woman who was almost trampled and had a couple teen boys help her out. He gave the old woman his spare flashlight, a thing that looked like a cheap keychain light but was even more powerful than his issued light. It still didn't see more than arms length ahead but it comforted the group. One of the co-eds in vampire makeup stumbled into me, Karen instructed her how to get out and guided her to the wall.

I felt pressure behind my right eye and spun in a small circle until the pressure was between my eyes in front and ran that way. Karen followed, disregarding Rawlins's calls of what we were doing. Karen sometimes dipped out of my light but came back when I slowed to round a corner. Her connection to me must have led her more than sight. We came to a door. Then Karen produced her SIG then nodded at me in silent, 'I'll cover you'. I felt the door, making sure no one would be hit by it then kicked it in, with one kick. Hard to do.

A wave of fear, greasy yet delicious and exciting, flooded over me, and the dark magic pushed against me, like I was wading through molasses. Karen looked at me and asked the problem, I replied black magic. The amulet's light only extended a foot or two here, so I knew it was the source of the murk. She offered to push me but I declined and powered through with my will until I made it to another door. Murphy barked some orders to the crowd of panicked people as we went and they filed out clinging to the walls with their cell phones trying to see from the little light they provided.

One of the doors was slammed open, barely hanging on its hinges by hope and rust. There was a scream, like a whole room screaming as one, in sheer terror. My skin crawled, and radiated, and I plowed into the dark space. I converted that energy with some focus and a lot of effort and it made the light in my amulet flood into the room like a halogen bulb in a dark shed at night. The sooty darkness shied away into thick black shadows under everything and I took account of our surroundings, 20 people, all badly injured, a woman lay beside her wheelchair, a boy in braces beside her with a broken arm, a pile of bodies that made pained noises but no movement, and some huddled few who were well enough to scatter once I lit the area. Murphy gave them calm directions how to leave.

Beyond the pile of bodies was… no way! Well, it was the reaper; an oversized inbred maniac serial killer from the popular film franchise _Suburban Slasher_ , named after his weapon of choice. He lifted a screaming girl to cut her open, Karen shouted freeze but didn't care to give him time to think about it. Bang bang bang, she hit him in the head with all three rounds… but he didn't seem to care. He tossed the girl aside and threw himself at Karen. She dodged, then I loosed an attack of sheer force at him.

He flew across the room into a projector screen and the murk receded. someone ran out the room, I didn't get a good look, instead I went to the wounded while Karen looked for a way he might have gotten away. She swore when she saw the wall covered in ectoplasm. She got on the phone with SI and paced and snarled like she was Molly talking to Charity. When she returned, I had improvised bandages out of tablecloths, and patched up everyone I could move, asking them all to stay to give statements.

There was one sobbing girl who was beaten badly sure, but was nothing life threatening like the others in the pile. It looked like her collarbone was broken. I explained such and agreed to stay with her and told her, she would be all right. Murphy led Rawlins and the EMTs to the room. Rawlins came to me, looking nauseous and asked "my god, Dresden, what happened?"

"good question." I retorted, taking the sheriff badge back. It had two additional purposes, I made it for mortals that didn't do magic. First: it was like wonder woman's bracelets; any magic or projectiles in his space would be attracted to the badge, which was impervious to such things. And Second: it wanted desperately to be with me so after a while it would convince the wearer to come find me. Neat huh? Got the idea from those damned coins.

Soon the EMTs toted the seriously injured folks away, then Molly was allowed in with Maggie and Mouse. "oh my god, Rosie!" Molly cried as she dropped besides the sobbing girl and me. I put up an arm to keep her from touching the injured woman. "she's hurt, why haven't they taken her?"

"the others were hurt worse, she's going on the next one." I answered, letting Molly hold Rosie's hand, and taking Maggie, who was now heavy from being tired.

"what happened?"

"They were attacked, he ran, there's ectoplasm on the wall by where I hit him. I'll fill in the gaps Molly, don't worry." I smoothed her hair down and her fear was like slime on her. I gave it a whirl and tried to drink it in. it went from feeling gross to fascinating and fascinating to positively unique. And it was deep. Mouse growled again, stopping me. Why in all this chaos was I testing out how feeding on fear would pan out? But then again… I cast my hungry silver eyes around the room and felt it like an oily fog.

"Molly?"

"I'm here Rosie."

"He killed them. He killed them!" she was panicking. Her fear was overwhelming to open myself up to, like it was more than necessary somehow but hey some folks cant handle brushes with death like I can. I rocked Maggie and tried not to feel it, but it was pressing against me, making it hard to breath. Every shortened breath drank it in.

"Shhhhh you're safe now, it's okay."

"the baby! Is the baby all right? Will the baby be alright?"

"she's pregnant?" I asked aghast. She was smaller than Molly, maybe even younger than Molly too.

"three months." Molly answered

"The baby. My baby." She panicked.

"the EMTs will do everything they can to make sure you both make it." I told her. "but you need to calm down, the baby can feel it too. You don't want to scare your baby." She shook her head painfully, tears across her face. "just breath slow, try not to move. Think happy thoughts. We can gab all day about babies, mine was an easy delivery for me." Rosie looked up at me and tried to laugh in vane but she wasn't panicked any more. When the EMTs took her, I noticed the signs of drug use, needle pricks in her arms. Molly insisted on riding with Rosie, which the EMTs agreed to, so I brought Maggie and Mouse to Karen. She and Rawlins were explaining what happened to a man who looked like he and Grayson were gingerbread cops from the same cookie cutter. Grayson was old. Gray hair, brown eyes, this man in the tweed suit had brown thinning hair and blue eyes.

"Dresden, this is detective Greene, from Homicide." Karen introduced us. Rawlins was sent home, finally, and Karen took Maggie, who was now officially an exhausted rag doll, and paced around till I gave the same damn story to Greene 4 damn times. Karen was enjoying it too, I could feel her smug through our CPL. She came to my rescue when Greene asked for the fifth time about the escaped assailant, who survived 3 expert shots delivered by Murph into his brain. "can we hurry this along? We need to put the baby to bed." Greene cocked an eyebrow at Murphy and a sadistic grin fought for space on his face against a snarl.

"so you and the consultant huh?"

"no, but I was his ride here, and we need to put his child to bed so unless you have NEW questions…"

"I do. You know Nelson Leonhard?"

"Should I?"

"well you bailed him out of jail a few hours ago."

"oh, boyfriend Nelson!" I realized, "yeah, his girl is my best bud's daughter, she dragged me into all this."

"that so? You understand he attacked somebody else here today?"

"Allegedly. When you don't know but say someone did something, you should say allegedly first. Yes, I know Nelson was accused of attacking a man today, and I understand the facts are stacked against him, but I don't believe he did it, nor do I appreciate you saying he did this. I was here, looking right at the guy. He was no Nelson." I mouthed off to Greene. "We done here?"

"Tell you what, Sergeant, when I find out whodunit, I'll give you all the credit, now, I'm taking Dresden and his little lady home." Murph added.

"you trying to pull SI into this?" Green eyed her with a look of exasperation and anger.

"seems like you can use our help."

"You aren't exactly a team player."

"well you can accept my help or the press can get an anonymous tip about crimes going unpunished due to interdepartmental rivalry. Your call." She shrugged.

"you overbearing, egotistical bitch."

"what? I didn't hear you. Tell me again at the gym tomorrow." Karen smiled triumphantly as we left.

"don't skip town Dresden. I might have more questions."

"what? But I'm supposed to play at Wimbledon this weekend." I scoffed.

We got to the apartment and put Maggie on the bed and I sat beside her. Karen laughed. "I remember you kept Maggie in a drawer as a bassinet when we first got her."

"I. you don't want to be we anymore remember that?"

"cry baby." She grumbled, then reluctantly sat beside me. "I found ectoplasm on the wall. He must have been from the Nevernever. Explains why he didn't fall down when he was shot."

"Hell neither do I." I replied, thinking she was quoting horror. No… no she wasn't.

"I found _Suburban Slasher_ was the film screening in the room. And the old man was screening _Hammer Hands_ when he was beat up in the stall."

"Could be significant, Clark looked like he was hit with a sledgehammer..." I was adding it all up, but missing something to narrow it down. "Remember Horror movie nights, before I started feeding on you the fun way? We would go to the drive in theatre every horror marathon, and just tear the movie apart. You'd tell me all the things real cops would have done, and I'd tell you about the monsters…"

"What's your point?"

"this feels _Nightmare on Elm Street_ to me." I answered but I was just thinking how much better it was when we started watching the horror flicks on her couch, drinking beer, making out when the movie hit boring patches.

"There's an Elm street in every town… So Freddy Kruger is our suspect?"

"Freddy Kruger adjacent, yeah. It's a thing that feeds on fear, so it riles it up in folks, making their favorite serial killers bust out the silver screen and start killing folks, making it dark, being invincible… it killed those couple of people to terrify the others then basked in the room full of fear. And now that people survived to talk about it, the fear will spread."

"shit." Karen swore.

"word." I agreed.

"how do we stop them?"

"The question is, how we stop them before tomorrow night."

"Why what's tomorrow?"

"movie screening. 12 rooms simultaneously screening horror favorites and the theatre will have two more."

"Oh, God."

"nope, just me." I cracked. Karen got it but didn't respond as desired.

"I'll talk to the victims, you prod your skull how this could have been done." Karen got up and was almost out the door when I grabbed her hand. I wanted to beg for her to give us a chance but she was logical above most else, she would be repulsed by it, so I let her go.

"sweet dreams." I said. She shivered and shook her head. I smiled to myself a little.

When I got into the shower I felt deliciously hot firm fingers begin working my muscles. I grabbed one of the hands and pulled it in front of me to kiss it, and bring the chest it was attached to against my back. I was about to wish Karen good morning, but then I thought about last night and realized something. I looked behind me, and it was Laciel as her usual punkie haired Karen knock-off. I sighed in disappointment then grumbled as I tried not to enjoy the sensation of having my back soaped up and full body girl loofa scrubbed. It was sensationally hard to ignore. I turned off the hot water, but the vixen made me feel like the shower stayed the same comfy temperature.

"cut it out!" I half squealed when Laciel started lathering up my front.

"but, my host, you're tired and sore, and all pent up. I can help. Your pain is my pain, literally."

"then giving ME an illusion isn't going to help YOU so scram."

"I felt you try to draw on Fear. Did you find it satisfactory? At this rate, you might-"

"I don't want to psychic arm-wrestle so early in the morning but I will, if you don't get out of here."

"very well, my host." She sulked as she gave me the perception of a sexy adorable woman stepping out of my shower with a pouty face and gathering a towel to cover her and spare another sullen look at me. Ugh I'm a sucker!

"so what do you think?"

"that your phobophage theory is accurate but there are dozens of different kinds of phobophages, who all have different weaknesses and origins, so you are no closer to solving these attacks now than you were yesterday morning."

"then what did it?"

"We haven't gathered enough information yet, but if you examine the effects on the victims, there might be a clue." I gave her a look Karen gives me to be serious.

"Swell, you're saying turn my sight on them, eh?"

"nasty business, but it's the best way."

"thank you." She was surprised by me thanking her but she bowed any way, and then vanished. Then the water turned cold. I made a rather unmanly sound then escaped it. When I was all dry I heard the door open and shut then came out in my towel to investigate.

"Harry, your lips are blue!" Karen passed me a box with a half dozen funfetti custard cream filled doughnuts. She passed Maggie one of her plain, funfetti doughnuts with nothing inside or out, the heathen. There was a doughnut shop that appeased both our mutual love for sprinkles, and her distaste for sugary carbs with sugary frosting, and made whatever you ordered off their mix and match menu that second.

We got the same sixers since we found the place, on a drunken walk around town. She had been on a date and scared the guy away, went bar hopping then I showed up because I was chasing a coven of vanilla mortals that were playing Charmed with the wrong spell book. I got sidetracked into a search for her shoe that ended up being on the stairs out of some nightclub that wouldn't let her in because she wasn't in the dress code. It was called club zero, doesn't that just sound pretentious? 'check it, I'm Cinderella!' she said smacking my shoulder once I put the shoe on her. 'for coming to my rescue, sweet prince, ask me anything, and I shall reward thee that.' And then she puked on the shoes. We went across the street to the doughnut shop to clean her up and fed her doughnuts, then we made it our favorite place.

"there was a problem with the heat, no big." I said roughly. Karen eyed me skeptically, knowing I was lying but not drawing any conclusion what had actually happened. She saw to the animals' needs then dressed Maggie for the day. It was a cute little tier layer dress alternating pink with white dots, black with pink dots and white with black dots and strappy sleeves Karen put white stockings on her and black slipper shoes. Then brushed her perfect black hair to put into pigtails with those balls on elastic that can double as tiny weapons. The balls she chose were pink and white. See, I just throw the child in anything. It usually matches, but even if it didn't she's a Raith, she looks good in everything. Karen makes such a big deal picking stuff out. This ensemble was from Lara. You could tell from the price tag. Some big shot red carpet designer made it. Its kid's clothes ladies, she'll out grow it in a month!

Karen had her hair down for Maggie's benefit, and ironed it from being a blond Merida from Brave, to wide curls that looked more professional. She also wore mascara, but nothing else… makeup wise… that was her professional face. I liked it because I could see her freckles better that way. Her clothes were gray scale tweed slacks, this white silk blouse her mom made her that was business in the front and lace in the back with no sleeves, and the lace kind of started on the front shoulders, not that you could see much of her back through the amount of hair she had grown in 4 years. It went from shoulder to booty in that time. I was surprised but some people just grow hair fast, and she was short so it was just like half a foot a year. It was thick, and plenty too. I wanted to play in it. It wafted strawberries and wildflowers at my nose when she tossed it into Maggie's face to the child's enjoyment.

I gathered my magic arsenal but left the staff. I had lots of magic jewelry for that sort of thing. Plus I got nasty looks from the authority types when I carried a stick around town. I grabbed Bob, too, which made him happy, then eyed my duster and left it behind. Mouse was my best tool against evil. Where the heck was Thomas? I was going to have to bring Maggie along if he didn't show. We headed to the hospital first, interviewed folks, looked at them with the sight, and permanently scarred my psyche with the image of their pain. A couple of them stood out. For one thing Pell looked strong, like the attack didn't phase him, and then Rosie looked like someone pressed hot pokers to her temples till they broke skin. That was not the phobophage was it?

It was almost noon so Karen dropped me at home, I walked the dog where he did business then came inside to fid Thomas with an old pirate looking pistol in my face. He dropped it and sighed in relief and went back to packing. "What's this?"

"I'm moving out."

"you've given me so much time but I still need more to cope." He shot me a look that meant not now. Then put his trunk by the door. "first Karen, now you? You leaving me too boy?" I asked Mouse. "Next, Susan will show up wanting Maggie back." Thomas grabbed me a beer and sat down with one of his own. We clinked them, and took a swig then he looked at me and sighed.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"if you mean will I ever be able to love again, I'll try. But there will always be a hole in my heart where you use to be." He laughed and took another swig.

"I got a job as night security, and I'm going to school now. I got a place. Left a spare key and address on the counter."

"so you just gonna Rabbit on me, huh? Hey how's feeding going? You practicing touching without it and stuff? I did the kiss of death twice last autumn." I tried to make conversation. We were working on controlling our feeding to try not to instinctually feed. This way Thomas could touch Justine, and I could fall in love too. "I'm trying to eat fear now."

"what? Harry, that's Malvora, you're a Raith!"

"yeah, but I've never been much good at the sexy thing. Not like you. I'm a cougar magnet but most of the time I creep people out. I figure I'd play off of that more."

"oh, that's why you got the fangs."

"sure."

"well be careful. None of the nice vampires were ever known for feeding on fear."

"I gotta do something. I can't feed on Karen any more, she broke up with me."

"WHAT!? WHY!?"

"Said she's ice-cream and I'll get sick of ice-cream or she'll grow old and die, and she wanted a family."

"but you and Maggie-"

"I know. She basically said I'd have a chance if I were human. Sha" I said as I watched Thomas shake his head.

"She doesn't want to burn you." He said wisely. I gave that some thought then tried to move on.

"you sure you'll be okay? On your own?"

"its high time I got out of here. Any time you need a sitter, call me."

"any time you need help, call me."

"will do, little brother. I'm kind of getting out of here for other reasons too."

"eh?"

"the white council." He said. I growled in response. He laughed, knuckle bumped and left. So I headed to Mac's pub in time for my meeting. I treated the mutt to steak sandwich without the onions, and he sat in a clear spot by the door, enjoying it and a bowl of water Mac brought him. I sat at a booth waiting for the summer knight Mac passed Maggie a little bowl of fries with my steak sandwich, then found a lided cup to serve her some of his famous lemonaid. When I heard the rumble of a motorcycle, I thought it might be him. And he soon entered, with Lilly on his arm. She brought a fresh summer breeze with her and made flowers bloom out of the wooden support beams, and moved directly to me smiling as I stood to bow over her hand and wait for her to be seated.

She traded formalities with Mac and ordered three lemonades then it was right to shop talk, which was hard because the summer queen put compulsions on them both not to help me, so I had to be clever to get any info out of them. It got too aggravating so we called in a fourth to the party. Maeve. Winter's lady explained that Mab was off her rocker and about to attack Summer because she was now without a knight, but if winter pulled her forces then summer could attack the red court and winter didn't attack the red court either because they believed if they went into battle without a knight that summer would attack them. It simply amounted to this, winter would behave sane and logically if it got a knight. Maeve gave Maggie a queer little look then asked me to give her to her. I responded as one would expect so Maeve countered with "then fill me with your seed so I may have your offspring of my own." I couldn't even begin to form a coherent reply to that.

After Maeve left Fix and Lilly took their leave and I called Muffy for a ride to Splattercon. Pell shut down his theatre apparently and while the hotel guests were escaping in droves, the Splattercon attendance tripled! Karen called up a cousin in the fire department about the safety hazards to try and cut down the number of potential victims. Greene called in the Feds behind Murphy's back, so now her ex/in-law was around there somewhere. Swell. Karen used a white comb to get the hair that was once bangs out of her face and fixed behind her head. It had a big black bow on it, making her look kind of like a kid. I snickered and gave Maggie attention and unleashed Mouse. Murphy followed me around while I set up wards by sticking blue play-dough in every room and along the hallways every 15 feet or so.

Murphy asked me questions as we went, I explained best I could. Then I realized I needed a clear quiet place to work the spell. But as we passed the elevators I noticed Murphy noticing a hot young looking man in a black suit with black shirt and red tie. "who's that?"

"Darby Crane." Murphy said fondly. Mouse growled. She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing what Mouse was trying to say. "I'll go say Hi." I tried to contain my jealousy but I began to growl too. We elbowed through the fan girls then caught him at the elevators, which I hexed so he couldn't leave. He scanned the crowd, then spotted Karen approach.

"Ah, Miss Murphy, I presume." He said smiling. "excuse me, Lieutenant Murphy of Special Investigations."

"good guess."

"I watched the video of you shooting that creature several years ago. It impressed me, and now that you stand before me, I see you are quite lovely in person, have you considered a film career?" the jerk asked suavely

"what's the point, they're all the same. Some stupid killer stalks some big-breasted girl who can't act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door. It's insulting." OH SNAP a Scream quote! I was so proud. "Mind if I ask you a few questions, Mr. Crane?"

"Well I'm quite busy what with panels and appearances and all. But… my schedule is open tonight at 9. Would you care to meet me at the hotel bar for a drink? I'd be happy to answer any questions for you at that time."

"it's a date." Murphy FLIRTED! She reached her hand out to him, and he reached his to her, and I took his hand, bumping hers out the way, because it was NOT a frickin date, by thunder! Oh and I was fairly certain Mr. Crane wasn't human. A predator can smell another predator.

"Well Hello cousin." I said tightening my grip on the vampire's hand.

"Uncle's bastard, Harry Dresden." He responded. "How'd you figure out it was me?"

"You look a little like pops. And there's nothing but ladies here lusting after you. Madrigal, yeah? The only Raith male, I haven't met."

"indeed."

"you knew I was around because of the elevators huh?"

"when electronics fry out of the blue, a wizard is usually to blame, yes." Madrigal looked at Maggie and cocked his head to the side.

"Who's this enchanting little moppet?" he sniffed the air and smiled. "red court and white court, interesting breed." I had a retort but Darby's phone rang. "try not to hex my phone, cousin, it would inconvenience me, greatly." He stepped aside to chat, so I passed Maggie to Karen and stood waiting for trouble. Darby was chatting with someone named Lucius about his schedule, and was relaxed upon when he mentioned being sidetracked by Harry Dresden. I felt famous. He returned and bypassed me to take Karen's hand and kiss it, without feeding, then winked "9then." And headed to the stairs.

"whew, I was worried he would do the hold and caress thing. It's so pervy. I couldn't help but notice he didn't try and feed on me. You think he's our guy?" Muffy wiped the back of her hand.

"I think he's here for a reason. But he's Raith, they eat lust. They own the porn industry, why's he in horror?"

"you kidding? Horror is half porn, half comedy, with scary stuff in the background: random nudity, long sex scenes, and awkward virginal romance that culminates into passion and relief after surviving. It's a many splendored thing." Karen likes horror movies, can you tell? As we were placing more play-dough, Marlene, another Splattercon worker called for me, "Harry? Harry, please help, it's Molly."

"where?" I asked. Greene and Richard were interrogating her. I asked Marlene to call Charity to come over with an attorney then headed that way. I bumped into Lydia Stern, the editor of _the Arcane_ and brought her along too. Murph, Maggie, and Lydia waited outside the door, that I left cracked open, while Mouse and I went in. Rick was playing good cop while Greene played bad. I barged in, said something snarky, Molly hugged Mouse, and me then we chatted. Just when Green reached his boiling temp I talked to Rick about the wedding. Then I got around to talking to Greene. Told him Murphy brought me in to consult about the case. Then I explained to Molly what rights she had that the nice police wasn't letting her exercise. That was a kicker.

"you're obstructing my investigation! When I'm done with you, you'll loose your license, and I'll see to it your bitch girlfriend looses her job too."

"Karen's not my girlfriend, I just tell people that because I'm lonely. Besides, our track record for resolved cases is far more impressive than yours. I don't see how your word can be construed as anything but backstabbing politics. And now, you're holding a minor without her parents or an attorney." I tisked as I shook my head. We carried on like this for a while, then when I couldn't smile any wider, Lydia came in and berated Greene with questions from recording our conversation. I laughed as he ran off with Lydia on his heels.

Rick shook his head "what's your angle Dresden?"

"The girl's my friend's daughter. He asked me to set her straight, that means watch her back too."

"he's consulting for SI. We're cooperating with Homicide on this." Rick and I both jumped. She's a little blond ninja. Got all the way into our peripheral vision undetected. "There's no time for pissing contests boys, so zip em up and start working together."

"maybe so, but Harry, my advice, is walk away. Greene doesn't feel you're much help here. I'm obliged to agree."

"Hey Molly." Murphy said, letting the little girl go to Molly, after fighting for it a little. "your mom is on her way, why don't you go sit with Sandra up front, so she'll see you." Molly didn't want to face Charity, who would, but with things the way they were, she'd rather be a daughter than a foe. Molly gave Maggie back and retreated.

We finished setting up the play-dough then booked a hotel room. Karen put Maggie on the bed and fished around in the baby bag until she found a stuffed T-Rex toy that didn't make sounds for her to play with. Mouse sat by the door to guard us, then as I was setting up the spell I just kind of couldn't take it any more.

"Get out of your pants" I said to Karen she was standing by Mouse and kind of jumped, startling the dog. As I closed in on her, Mouse went to put himself between Maggie and me. She pet him then curled up to him making her dino bite him and laughing when he bit the dino back.

"Harry, we've discussed this."

"Do me a favor, Murph. Don't scream. Just hear me out, then scream." She snorted. "Those things you said you wanted… I want those things too."

"what things? Love, marriage, and children?" I nodded. "Harry, it's impossible for you."

"I'm working on that." I began to corner her against the door, and I felt her want me but she was trying to control it.

"Were from different worlds, Harry." She pressed her back on the door and grabbed the handle.

"Well, I don't know, we tend to hang out around the same one, most of the time." I took the hand away and kept it.

"You- but." She was trying not to cry but it wasn't working too well. Great job Harry, make the tough as nails, pretty little woman cry. "There are things we need to consider. I'll die way before you, and get old… I don't want you to see me old and fragile like that…" she took a deep controlled breath. And when I saw the Carpenters, I… God I really wanted that. I mean, how many children do you want?"

"infinite. I want one for every year"

"stop joking a second."

"I don't know. I never thought about it, I mean, Maggie kind of sated that primal need, but hey, you want to have a big family, 6 kids it is. I don't care, as long as they're with you. I don't think I could stomach any other woman, especially vampires, fairies, and other such immortals. I want you for as long as you'll give me… hopefully 50 more years at least." I shrugged. "I'll implode if you leave me right now." Karen laughed and wiped off her tears.

"But I'm scared that I might… God, Harry I've been married twice, and have never been as happy as I am with you. I don't want to fuck that up. But I already have just by feeling that way." She seemed to be calming down. I hugged her and kissed her head, and controlled my hunger from taking from her.

"Karen, I love you." I whispered into her hair.

She stopped breathing. I got inhumanly still, and we heard something move on the other side of the door. "I love you too, Harry. And now I'll burn you like Justine and Thomas." She said, completing the thought but we were getting ready to attack the eavesdropper. She grabbed the door handle and stepped back, I got into the crack with a spell ready.

"Tell you what, if we survive this I'll take you on a real date." I said. She rolled her eyes.

"And if I say no?"

"sleep on it." She laughed and opened the door to reveal Molly with a little pink backpack leaning into the door. She toppled over, being top-heavy and leaning too far forward. Murphy snorted and went to the bathroom to wash her face. I put Bob up to supervise and waited for Molly to explain as I started getting ready for the showdown at sunset.

"I was waiting for a good time, I didn't want to interrupt." Molly said sheepishly.

"We told you to sit at the front."

"I didn't want to face my mom like this." She gestured to herself,

"Yeah, I wouldn't either. Best way to avoid that is to never do this to yourself." I gestured at her much the same way.

"What's all this?"

"Magic, what's it look like?"

"Harry, be nice." Muffy scolded me, looking young as Molly without makeup as she came out the bathroom and sat with Maggie.

Deep breathe. "I'm trying to prevent the attack from hurting anyone else. Whoever is summoning these things needs to bring them through a portal of sorts. When one opens, I'll sense where, and redirect them from the victims to the summoner. It'll be tricky, I'll only have like 8 seconds to do it, and if multiple portals open at once, it'll be extra tricky, but I'll also have Muffy and Rawlins to protect people if it doesn't work." She was about ready to cry. "I'm sorry I wasn't there in time before, but I'll stop it from happening again." She looked down and swallowed then nodded. "This is serious. You need to be with your mother. You need her love and protection, and to talk things over with her."

Molly shook her head. "She won't listen."

"She will. She loves you. My mother died when I was born… murdered by my dad actually. Then the guy that raised me was killed when I was six, which is how I was an orphan… then I ate my first crush by having sex too young… and the man who adopted me ended up being an evil bastard, and I ended up killing him by burning him alive with magic."

"Off subject." Muffy warned me.

"Point is, your life was good; nothing evil following you trying to kill you, your dad hunts evil, not the other way around. But _you_ made poor choices, _you_ lost your mother's faith, and now you try and blame _her_ for your problem. YOU are your problem. But of all the things in the world, YOU are the only thing you can actually change. You can fix the problem." She looked like she was going to hit me. But if it made things better, I'd let her.

"Molly, your dad has survived a lot of crazy things, but one day, he might get hurt, or die. It's scary. My dad was a cop. He died when I was 11. Your mother clings to you so tightly because she wants you to be safe. She wishes she can be with your dad and keep him safe too but she has to protect you first. It's the way moms are. It's annoying and repressing, but it's a good thing."

"It won't do any good."

"Yeah, I don't expect any miracles…" she froze and I swear she wanted to say something but she waited like that then.

"Can I wash up now?" lord I ask that you teach me patience so when my Maggie is this age I don't lock her in an iron maiden.

"Go for it." She shuffled into the bathroom then Bob wolf whistled. Karen shook her head.

"Watch out, Harry, she likes you."

"Hells bells, every aspect of that thought is just wrong." I pulled Muffy in for a kiss, like the kiss at Billy's wedding.

"Need anything?" Karen asked as we broke away.

"Nah. Oh yes, food please. Chocolate too. And a drink. And when you see Rawlins, have him stop by." I sat down and started getting ready.

"Why you so sure Rawlins will be here?"

"I'm a detective." I shrugged and she snorted as she opened the door to Charity and Father Forthill about to knock. "Hiya, Charity. Father Forthill, what are you doing here?"

"He's my attorney." Charity replied.

"He's a priest and a lawyer? God truly works in mysterious ways."

"Oxymoronic." Father said.

"Hey, I don't call you names." I stood and wobbled then shook their hands, offering a seat. "Molly's just ungothing herself right now."

"Thanks for calling me… what are you doing here?" Charity asked wearily.

"A ward against the things attacking convention guests. Somebody has to be summoning these things here, but sending them to crowds of innocents. This is to redirect them to the jerk calling them here, so the only one getting hurt, is the one responsible for calling them."

"The golden rule." Father Forthill said.

"Exactly." Molly came out dressed as modest and not Goth as she could and meekly followed her mother out. Muffy went with them and I was finally able to cast my spell. When Karen returned, it was an hour till go time. I ate the burger king burgers and fries, Maggie got a kids meal, and Karen passed me an assorted mini candies bag like the candy you get for Halloween, because she knew I liked chocolate for a million reasons but not which I preferred. Rawlins was with her, and I passed them both candles and Mouse and told them how the ward flames worked. It would burn through the heat spectrum orange is fine, yellow is dangerous, white really dangerous, blue, kiss your ass goodbye.

"You really believe in that supernatural baloney, don't ya?" Rawlins shook his head.

"Supernatural perhaps, baloney perhaps not." I said darkly. Karen and Rawlins exchanged exhausted eye rolls then headed out. I got to work focusing on the spell. Maggie passed out among her toys and food in the hotel bed. I waited and waited and had to pee so bad, I took a break, saw to my needs and started up again. Then my cell rang. It was boyfriend Nelson certain he was being chased. I managed to calm him down and sent him to the church to wait for me, then got back to work. Then the ward flame suddenly grew and began making it's way through the spectrum. I felt 4 attackers and worked my magic and managed to redirect three of them. I turned to Bob "you have my permission to poses Maggie to preserve your life or hers." Then I took the flame and pushed down the stairs to the ground floor. I thought I heard Mouse bark but figured I was hearing things, the walls were sound proof.

When I pushed through the stairs door, I entered cold darkness. The ward flame was a bright beacon in the blackness. I shook out my bracelet and let my amulet glow as well. There was a lot of panic, and screaming, muffled by the murk but it escalated when panic gunfire rang out. I felt the waive of terror overtake me, and focused on converting it into Dresden chow. Then my ward flame burned magnesium white and for a split second the whole hall was bright and almost seemed void of color. The crowds took advantage and surged together for the exit, but the flame turned blue and the light became something that was scary, letting you see but just enough to let your imagination turn it all into things that want to kill you. The flickering flames made couches into four legged beasts, and crowds into alien caterpillars. The fear was like hot syrup over my flesh, but a chill ran up my spine.

"Fuck-a-doodle-doo." I said trying to joke my way out of panic. A movement caught my eye; something strange that couldn't have been a trick of the light. I positioned the ward flame on the ground so it showed the way out, and then moved into the darkness with my pentacle alight. My vampiric night vision was almost useless in the murk, then it screamed, a metallic screech I recognized. This wasn't good. A girl tried to light a cigarette lighter for light. I tried to stop her. You know that part in scary movies when someone does something really stupid and everyone hates them for it? This is it. The thing tackled her and an undertow of sheer terror surged through the room. There were panicked people trampling each other, heading my way. I turned up my amulet and found the beast then swam against the current to get to the girl.

"Get away from her, you bitch!" I shouted and punched a force ring at her letting out the energy collected within. It flew backward and I leaped over the girl to pursue it. I called a solid force of fire, then hit it while it was down, and again, and again, splattering its neon green viscous acid blood on the walls. It dodged one of my blows and ducked into the darkness. I couldn't do both at once but I didn't have to.

Rawlins came up the hall then put his torch down by the girl to check her wounds, and pull his gun. We both looked around, then I was attacked from behind. I rolled then put up my shield pinning it to the wall, thrashing. We both looked at it, Rawlins was stunned, but he did me proud when he spoke. "If I weren't about to shit my pants right now I'd be fuckin fascinated." I laughed, but the thing rose it's barbed tail to strike and I had to dodge. After taking a couple gunshots, it lunged and I called up a cyclone of hellfire to crush it into the ceiling, and then let it fall. Then I stepped on its skull like I was squashing a bug. It dissolved into ectoplasm and I looked to Murphy as she arrived and smiled.

"We came, we saw, we kicked its ass." I announced. The murk receded and the true horror was revealed. Three former people were smeared across the walls floor and ceiling, acid stains and dents, and charred wallpaper accented the blood and entrails. I found a potted plant and puked. Murphy rubbed my back and a guy in white scrubs, who looked too buff to be a nurse checked on the lighter girl and shook his head, then came and checked me out and said I was in shock but okay.

"You don't look so good." Rawlins observed as I wiped my mouth.

"No, I don't think I am… I let her die."

"She was dead when I got here. Bled out. Nothing you could have done." Mouse whined and gave my hand doggie kisses. "Come on let's get back to the lobby." Rawlins helped me move, I could hear Karen barking orders to EMTs and uniform cops. The chaos was gone in seconds. "Your dog ain't normal, you know that?"

"Yeah."

"This candle blew up in my face, turned yellow, I started telling people to get out. Then the lights went out… and your dog starts barking, and I heard everyone stop screaming for like a second, and they just started coming toward us. I directed them out of the building and the dog took off. I was following the strap of his leash; he would stop and wait for me at cross-halls then get on running again. It's how I found you."

"Good boy." I scratched the mutt's ears. We came to the lobby and I found Muffy talking on her radio then she stopped and got that look she got when she was an emotional wreck on the inside but _Stallone Cobra_ on the outside.

"This is nuts! And I have a very high tolerance for nuts." She said to me. I nodded. "Please tell me its done."

"I returned 3 to sender, but the fourth cut loose."

"Those bodies."

"I got him good Murph. He won't be coming back."

"Where did the others go?"

"I'll hunt them down right now."

"My brother, Michael, is on his way over to take Maggie, if that's okay."

"Perfect."

"Rawlins, you mind babysitting Dresden for me?"

"Like I got nothing better to do." Rawlins drawled.

"Suffer." Karen put her hair into a bun and walked to a bunch of suits with Rick and Greene who both got trampled but otherwise were unharmed. There were three uniform cops hit with panic fire as well as five civilians. We slipped away unnoticed to the hotel room.

"Wizards and demons." Rawlins shook his head. I tried to say something but he shushed me. "Uh, uh. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to know. Let me get through tonight, and then you can shatter earth till you're blue in the face."

"Sounds like a plan." We got to the room and I worked the tracking spell and was horrified to find it was pointing at the Carpenters' general direction. I cleaned up as best I could and threw bob into the duffel bag with the other cool magic things, and Michael soon arrived. He was the youngest of Karen's triplet brothers, and the leanest. While the others were in the Marines, he was in college following his sister's footsteps. He became a cop and was put in a precinct on the other end of town from his sister. His real name was Colin Michael Murphy after his dad Colin James (Jack) Murphy, but refused to go by junior because the trio would be introduced as Jack, Joseph, and Junior. Lame. But it flowed better than Jack, Joe and Mike. That's beside the point. All in all, Mike was my favorite Murphy boy. I passed him the rag doll that was my child and her bag and kissed her little fingers. We walked to the parking lot together; he drove off while we crossed the lot to Rawlins' car. I heard an engine roar, Mouse suddenly tackled me, then saw Mouse get T- boned by a van and land in a heap of gray and black fur.

I looked at the van, furious, and came to my feet as it backed up trying to hit me. "Well you just pissed me off." I said to mister Van, but I heard Rawlins try to yelp, and then pow, I was out.

I awoke, which surprised the hell out of me, to a blindfold and gag, and thorn manacles holding my arms over my head with my tailbone on the ground. I called for Rawlins, he answered, and he reported he was cuffed to a wall in his own cuffs. The indignity. He reported we were in a garage, and I realized the familiar scent was what I smelled when I was kidnapped by the lycanthropes. He reported that a fish lipped fatty was guarding me like a dog and I remembered my dog was hurt and lashed out, to get shocked with the cold of my manacles. My feet weren't bound so I started kicking. He laughed. Then I heard someone enter.

"Awake, cousin? Lucius, would you be so kind?" Fish lips tore the hood off my head showing it was one whole piece. I spat blood out and looked for Rawlins then any exit, then up at Madrigal Raith.

"No please don't kill me mister ghost face, I wanna be in the sequel" I begged ingenuinely.

"I _was_ just going to kill you, but after making a few calls, I came to find you were…"

"Ruggedly handsome, good for a laugh, a good dancer?"

"Marketable. You see, it's very important to be well connected in my line of work. My connections don't like you." I got nervous, and he smelled it. Like I was now better tuned to fear, he was already on it's station. We were both Raiths, but Madrigal was a fear sucker, all the way. He smelled my fear, and tasted it. And that made me afraid, very afraid. He sighed happily then his phone rang and he left to chat on it. I turned to get a look at Lucius. He looked like a fish with teeth in a lawyer costume.

"You killed my dog." I snarled at Lucius. He smiled then shrugged smugly. "Here's where you say, sometimes dead is better. Come on." I joked but I was searching for something to get me out of this.

"Keep your tong in your mouth, wizard." Lucius snarled.

"Or what?" Lucius wanted to shoot me, he really did, but instead he shot Rawlins in the leg. "NO!" Madrigal ran in and saw what was going on then snarled.

"Please, behave, cousin." His phone distracted him again.

"You all right?" I asked Rawlins.

"He missed, but the stitches in my arm opened up."

"Crap…" then Laciel poked out from behind me like she was sneaking into the room to break us out. She examined the manacles… her hair was red auburn… ' _What are you doing? And why'd you change your hair?' 'There are too many blonds in your life, my host. I wished to set myself apart.' 'But you still choose to look like Karen?' 'I am an angel. I kill firstborns while their mamas watch. I turn cities into salt. I even, when I feel like it, rip the souls from little girls, and from now till kingdom come, the only thing you can count on in your existence is never understanding why.'_ I rolled my eyes. ' _The manacles, you know how to get me free?' 'Certainly, my host.'_ We talked; devising a plan, then set it to action.

I slipped out the cuffs by mutilating my wrists then hexed the lights. When they went out my vampire nightvision came in handy. I force pushed Lucius across the shop then broke the chain on Rawlins's cuffs. I ushered him to the hole I used to escape the Lycanthropes a few years back and we got outside to see that white sedan from before pull into the alley. Crap. The driver came out and worked the pump on his shotgun but I soon adjusted my eyes to see it was my brother. "Get down!" he hollered. No sooner than we spread on the floor than he let a shot rip, and knocked Lucius back. We retreated to behind Thomas, who wore my duster, and spotted Madrigal come out the shop with a big chrome pistol and open fire on us.

"Thomas!" Madrigal spat.

"Cousin! Back off, and I won't have to kill you."

"Don't push me. I'll make you regret it."

"Please." Thomas said, shooting Madrigal in the thigh. Rawlins cheered.

"You can't beat me in a fair fight. Neither of you can. You look like two starving wolves, waiting for your whores to-" Thomas shot him again. He sprawled on the ground.

"Distraction!" I shouted. Lucius healed his wounds then pulled out a curved blade and leapt for us again, with our attention and one gun on Madrigal. I focused a spell, but before I let it fly, Mouse tackled Lucius and grabbed his neck with glowing blue teeth, snapping it, and then came to me. I wanted to cry in relief. "Good dog." I looked back to Madrigal and snarled, "Spill it."

"You have my word, I never orchestrated any of this. I enjoyed it, and fed off of it, but none of the events were of my design."

"Then why did you grab me?"

"Attack of opportunity." He shrugged. "And I wanted the cop." I scorched a ring around Madrigal faster than I could spit out the spell word. Have you ever seen the first power ranger series with the pumpkin rapper? Well Darby Crane here made a horror movie where the pumpkin rapper, but a lot scarier without the ability to flow, terrorized people in the autumn months. It's long legs were enough to straddle the van, and it climbed over it to tear Lucius's head off.

"Good god!" Rawlins swore, Mouse snarled, Thomas looked at me confused.

"A phobophage…"

"It's the scarecrow!"

"I'll handle him. Get everyone to the van and pick me up. Ill draw him away." I moved so his attention was away from the van then I really let myself fear. It was liberating actually. I wanted to crawl under a rock, and there was nothing but self-preservation that stopped me. I called hellfire to create the torrent around him, but he stepped through it and wrapped pumpkin vine fingers around my throat.

Rawlins and Madrigal made it to the van, but Mouse and Thomas came back for me. I told Thomas to make a circle and he complied, running around us with my blasting rod dragging on the ground. He touched the ring and the thing turned to goo, and I dropped the 10 feet to the ground. We ran for the van then Madrigal gunned it, but the goo coalesced and became the scarecrow again as my retreat broke the circle. The scarecrow pounced onto the roof of the van and it's vines lashed against the windows. I risked leaning out the window that he shattered first and blasted my force ring into him while Madrigal swerved. A bunch of water bottles scattered across the floor as he swerved and I got an idea. We tripped him with ice and got away clean.

"You helped!" I looked over to Madrigal. He shrugged.

"We're family. I would have died without your help."

"Sure, sure." I responded. "You were just about to sell me on ebay, after trying to kill me, kill my dog, and steal my girlfriend, but now were family."

"Truce then. Until the convention is over."

"I want you gone the second it is. Or I WILL kill you." I responded. Motherfucker shouldn't have tried to pop my pooch and poach my cop friend. "In the mean time, lets take my buddy here to the hospital, then go get some movie monsters."

"Yavol Heir Dresden." Madrigal answered. We dropped Rawlins at the hospital then I followed the tracking spell to the Carpenters. The fear was real, but how? I thought Lucius was the one, considering he had been attacked by the scarecrow. I circled around the house first, to check out the scene and saw an arm hanging over the balcony of the tree house. If it wasn't attatched to a safe and sleeping human I was going to puke. It was attached to a bloody beaten Daniel. He explained to us that two people came to the door and Molly let them in then he blinked and hammer hands and the reaper were suddenly there taking Molly away.

Madrigal Thomas and I found Charity and the kids and loaded them into Charity's van then all went to the church of saint mary of the angels then brought the family inside. Charity was awake, making demands which we complied. I called Murphy and explained the whole thing, she told me to sit tight, and wait for her at the church. I admitted what happened to Father Forthill, who helped me understand it was unintentional and meant something that I didn't understand yet. I thought it over. I opened my sight and looked over the children. Aside from Daniel no one was hurt, but then my sight fell on Nelson and I realized something. His psyche was burned like Rosie's, and by someone other than the phages.

I went to Charity and asked her about what I found. She admitted she was a sorceress once, but renounced her power for faith when she met Michael but now her daughter had it and was using it the wrong way. The phages grabbed her because she was using fear, black magic, and they would feed off of her until she ran dry. And I knew what kind of phages they were now. I called Murphy back and said I'd be home, come asap. I called the summer knight and asked an audience with him and to please call me back, then we went to little Chicago. I didn't want Madrigal around my place so I let him get away when we left the church. I had Charity get me something of Molly's she found me baby hair from a baby book. It didn't work. I was feeling truly low, and got on my knees next to Charity and said "what the heck, lets give faith a try." She nodded and I prayed for something to help me find the little girl." That's when Muffy arrived.

I explained things then she asked questions, then I realized I was dumb and Murphy was an angel. I mean everyone says it since she's blond and pure good, but the fallen angel chose to cosplay as her for a reason, she's an angel. I kissed my angel and Charity gave me some blood and I tracked the little girl to Pell's theatre.

We were arming up medieval style when the growl of a Japanese motorcycle, the one I knew the summer knight drove, came around the alley revealing Fix and Lilly. We strategized then I kicked the door in. "I came to kick ass and chew bubblegum and I'm all out of bubblegum." I loved that line. I felt pretty rowdy too. Nothing. Well crap. I went on in, making my way to the silver screen then they finally attacked. Fix and Lilly made short work of them. 2 phobophages made to look like the mutant zoo animals from _Nature Red_. We got to the screen and were ambushed by a fetch made into a doll. Murphy killed that one. Lilly opened the way and crap. It headed to Arctis Tor. When we arrived we saw signs that someone already blasted their way in and left lots of carnage behind.

"What happened?" Thomas pondered aloud. The fetches descended on us at that time, and we kicked their asses. Thomas and Karen watched our back while Charity and I stormed the ice fortress to save Molly. Scarecrow had her. I couldn't kill him when he was weak, and here he was strong. I needed something. I tapped into summer and blasted his ass. Then hunting horns howled and I had to escape. We got back in time, Thomas carrying the armor, and I carried Molly. When we got back and closed the way, then returned to the church, we realized time passed quickly. Karen rushed back to work, Thomas had to go too, and I had to talk to Molly about black magic. It was rough but she and Charity agreed to let me bring Molly in. We made a show for the council.

Lilly came and presented awards to Morgan and me, and then I gave a long-winded speech about justice. The merlin tried to execute Molly, but then her dad and the entire elder council came through a way through the nether and the council said let the girl live. I drove Michael and Molly back to her house, and then went home to sleep in my bed, in my empty apartment save for Mouse and Mister.

I woke up to Karen tugging my shirt off then rolling me over, then checking my eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I noticed something. Thomas doesn't heal as quickly as you, but sometimes you don't either. Look. Still bruised. You were concussed for a good long time too."

"I do it consciously. Its not totally a vampire thing."

"Ah, a part of being both?"

"Bingo. It's been a funny sort of day hasn't it?"

"Cut it out already. The convention is over. If I hear another horror quote from you, ill die."

"No more dead bodies for daddy tonight." I answered. She pretended to die choking and sprawled next to me. After I threatened to take her pants off she sat up. Awe.

"Maggie's in the living room. I left breakfast on the counter."

"Where you going?"

"My first shrinks visit."

"How'd things play out?

"I'll be evaluated and investigated. I'll be demoted and busted down to sergeant. Stallings got SI and I got a new partner." Please don't say O'Toole. "Rawlins."

"Ain't he suffered enough?"

"That's what I said." She smiled at me. "Well I better take off."

"Wait… um… what do we do about us?" I asked sheepishly. She gave it though, then looked me in the face and said,

"I don't know, but you should just feed off me the old way. I don't want to burn you."

"I'll figure something out. Promise." She smiled, then kissed me again and left.

I debriefed Bob then waited for Molly to arrive for her first lesson. I taught her how to feel wards then how to put them up and lower them. I taught her how to act, and gave her her apprentice necessities. Then I explained to her she wasn't getting anywhere with me and I wasn't going to go easy on her. I also banned her from sex with anyone. I showed her how scary magic could be and explained to her she slips up or disobeys me at a critical moment she was dead… and so was I. when she started to cry I hugged her and said, "No tears please, it's a waste of good suffering." Then she laughed and i took her back to her mom. Later Ebenezer came by to let me know about a conspiracy in the council, after which, to lighten the mood, I took him to Hooters.

I dunno what the hell's in there but its weird and pissed off, whatever it is.


End file.
